


Turn Your Back On Mother Nature

by Sxymami0909, xtremeroswellian



Series: Ghosts [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awesome Sheriff Stilinski, BAMF Chris Argent, BAMF Lydia Martin, BAMF Stiles Stilinski, Banshee Lydia Martin, Damn Tree Stump, Derek is a Good Friend, Druid Stiles Stilinski, Emissary Stiles Stilinski, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, F/M, Gen, Hurt Derek, Hurt Lydia, Hurt Stiles, Hurt/Comfort, Jealous Stiles, Magical Stiles Stilinski, McCall Pack, Post-Nogitsune Stiles Stilinski, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Revenge, Scott is a Good Friend, Sequel, Stiles is a good friend, Stilinski Family Feels, The Nemeton Still Causes Problems, True Alpha Scott McCall, post 3b
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-11-06
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-04-30 08:12:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 72,219
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5156555
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sxymami0909/pseuds/Sxymami0909, https://archiveofourown.org/users/xtremeroswellian/pseuds/xtremeroswellian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two months after Peter’s death and the regrowth of the Nemeton, nightmares about the balance that was interrupted when Stiles brought her back from the other side, plague Lydia. Meanwhile Stiles has his own demons to contend with, ones that very well might be drawing him back to Alaska with Scott by his side. With the pack finally on the same page and working together to protect Beacon Hills while attempting to figure out how the Nemeton grew over night, all is finally quiet. But when an old enemy returns with revenge on the agenda Beacon Hills is thrown into chaos. And if that wasn’t enough, a life for a life is the only way to restore the balance…and time is running out fast.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Note:** This story is not yet complete and so the updates will not be as regular as I'd like. But you can reach out to me on **[Tumblr](http://reportergirl13.tumblr.com/)** with any questions, suggestions or anything. :)  
> 

Stiles brushed his nose against Lydia’s as he guided her over to her bed, capturing her lips with his as he pushed her down onto the mattress. His hands were already moving to unzip the zipper of her dress, fingers brushing over bare skin as he moved his mouth to her neck, nipping gently -- not enough to leave a mark. He pulled back just enough to look at her, eyes darker than usual, and pulse rate already accelerated. It didn’t take much for her to have that effect on him. It never had.

And these days she was one of the few things that distracted him from anxious thoughts about the Nemeton, how it had literally grown 30 feet tall or more in less than two weeks, and how none of them knew what that meant yet, but it could not be good.

He slid his hand up to cup her cheek before kissing her again then pulling away to shuck his shirt off over his head letting it fall on the floor, and flashing her a wicked grin.

Lydia smirked, a soft laugh tumbling from her throat, even as her eyes roamed over his body devouring him. She pushed herself onto her knees on the bed as her gaze found his again. Her heart beat heavily against her chest as she dropped her hands to the bottom of the dress he’d just unzipped and pulled it over her head tossing it at his feet. “I win,” she said softly, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she grinned at him from her knees.

“I don’t know, Lydia. I think I might be the winner here,” Stiles informed her as he reached out and rested his hands at her waist for a moment. It was going to be a very brief moment.

Lydia grinned and tilted her head to the side letting her gaze drop briefly to the new green lace bra and panty set she wore. “I picked this up on my last trip to the mall, what’s the verdict? Do we like it?” She asked while leaning into him as he stood in front of her, her hand trailing down his bare shoulder as she nipped at his jaw.

A corner of Stiles’ mouth turned up at her next words. “I think green is definitely.” He kissed her neck. “Definitely.” He kissed her collarbone. “My new favorite color.” He kneeled on the bed in front of her. He slid his mouth down to the top of her cleavage, kissing her there softly as he laid her down against the pillows.

Lydia grinned, her eyes fluttering shut at the feel of his warm mouth against her skin. She tilted her head back against the pillows, arching her body into him as one of her hands threaded through his hair and the other explored the expanse of his chest, scaling over his abdominal muscles, the feel of them moving beneath her palm making arousal spark inside of her. “God, I love your mouth,” she said with a soft moan as she slid her hand around to his back, her pulse thudding erratically against her skin.

Stiles was the best distraction. Not the kind you toss away, but the kind that makes all the bad things disappear for a while. Plus there was the fact that she loved him, which only seemed to make everything that much sweeter. And by sweet, Lydia meant hot. Ridiculously hot.

He pressed a kiss against her stomach, looking up at her with amusement. “You do, huh?” He pressed a kiss to the skin just below her belly button. “For the record...you are the only one who’s ever said that to me.” Stiles pressed a kiss to her left hip. “Everyone else tells me to shut my mouth. Regularly.” Even if he wasn’t quite as loud and obnoxious as he’d been once, he still heard shut up from people regularly. And he still paid about as much attention to the order as he always had. Which was none at all. He kissed his way to her other hip, resting his hands lightly on her thighs.

Lydia arched an eyebrow, her breathing picking up speed, gaze darkening as she followed Stiles’ movements. “Well, I definitely think there are better things you could be doing with it than talking right now, but I don’t think one of them would be shutting it.” she commented with a smirk, even as her heart slammed against her chest. Stiles was a tease, okay maybe tease was a strong word. He always delivered, usually multiple times.

But it had been a while since they’d been able to get anytime alone and Lydia was practically desperate for his touch.

Stiles smirked against her skin, glancing up at her again. “Don’t you know by now that I am an excellent multi-tasker?” He winked at her as his fingers teased lightly at the juncture of her thighs, stroking her through the green silk.

Lydia’s head tilted back again another soft moan falling from her throat, “Multi-tasking is good,” she breathed, her chest rising and falling heavily as she parted her legs further for him, desire shooting through her body. “Stiles,” she gasped his name as one of her arms reached behind her, her palm pressing against the headboard of her bed.

Stiles groaned softly at the sight she made underneath him. It didn’t matter how many times they made love, it was always intense, always mind-breaking. He slipped a finger under the material, stroking lightly at her clit as he kept his eyes focused on her face. She was always so damn responsive.

Her mouth opened letting out a short gasp as her hips lifted at his touch. Lydia’s skin was flush with arousal, and the more Stiles touched her the hotter she got. It was ridiculous how much his touch affected her. She felt it everywhere, their connection made things so much more intense than it had ever been with anyone else. “More,” she demanded though really it came out as more of a plea. Lydia wasn’t shy about telling Stiles what she wanted and he certainly wasn’t shy about giving it to her. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

Stiles carefully shifted on the bed, rolling her underwear down and pulling them off her legs. He pressed a kiss against each of her thighs before letting his tongue dart out to taste her. “Better?” he murmured.

“Jesus,” She moaned her hand slipping from the headboard and hitting into the lamp she kept on the bedside table knocking it to the ground. Lydia groaned, not even caring, “Yes,” she breathed as pleasure stirred inside of her. Her body squirmed beneath him, her hand dropping to his head again and gripping his hair gently.

Stiles grinned at her response before repeating his actions, bracing his hands against her thighs, unaware of the footsteps approaching the door.

“Lydia?” a familiar voice called out, way too close to the door.

Stiles’ eyes widened and he quickly slid his body over hers, blocking her from view just in time for Derek and Chris Argent to step inside. He felt his face flush and he buried it against the pillow underneath her.

Lydia let out a startled noise when the door was shoved open.

Chris’s gun was drawn as he stepped into the room, freezing at the sight that greeted him.

Derek bumped into him, not expecting the other man to stop so suddenly. “What are you doing?” He asked as his gaze shifted around the other man and he arched an eyebrow attempting to hide the smirk that was fast forming on his face.

Lydia grabbed for the throw blanket tugging it towards her body and sitting up fast practically knocking Stiles off her. “Mr. Argent,” she flushed bright red tugging the blanket up her body. Her gaze shifted to Derek and then back, “I thought you two were having a guy’s night,” she said flustered.

Stiles groaned as she all but rolled him off her and he reached out, dragging the blanket over his own head as he lay face down on the bed. Talk about embarrassing. And awkward. _Christ._ He wasn’t entirely sure he wasn’t about to be flayed alive. Chris Argent was a scary guy sometimes.

Chris had immediately diverted his gaze to the ceiling. “We came by here to pick up a few things first,” he said, tone impossible to read as ever. “Heard a noise and thought maybe someone had broken in.”

Stiles shook his head slightly. Derek had _super hearing_  and super smelling abilities. How the hell had he not registered it was just Lydia and him? Or maybe he had and relished the idea of embarrassing him. Jerk.

Lydia swallowed hard. “No breaking in,” she commented her gaze darting to Stiles who was hiding under her blanket. She huffed and then shifted on the bed, “Uh…” she got down off the bed carefully, blanket wrapped tightly around her as she reached for her dress sending a glare in Derek’s direction.

He held up his hands trying to stop the grin from forming on his lips. He’d never seen Lydia turn so red, “We heard something break as soon as we walked through the door, we were worried.” he explained the amusement in his voice clear.

Lydia gripped her dress tightly. “I’m just going to get dressed,” she said and when neither of them moved, she bit her lower lip, “So if you guys could just get out for a minute so I can...that would be great.” She said her cheeks coloring further as she tried not to groan.

“Gladly,” Chris said, quickly turning and heading back out the door, gripping Derek’s arm and pulling him along with him, shutting the door behind them.

“Oh my god,” Stiles muttered.

Lydia dropped the blanket and tugged her dress over her head immediately before grabbing her panties from the floor. “That might be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me...and I’ve _died_.” She said with a groan. “And you, get up don’t hide under the blankets.” She said slapping the covers gently.

“Stiles...I can’t go out there. You have to.” Lydia said as she pulled on her panties under her dress and watched him. “You can see if Mr. Argent is mad.” She told him matter-of-factly as she gnawed on her bottom lip.

“Oh, no I am _definitely_ hiding under the blankets. Possibly hiding under the _bed_ ,” he retorted. “Forever. That was so on purpose.” He grumbled, making no move to get up. “Actually I might go out the window.” He didn’t even care if there was no fire escape. Jumping out the window sounded like a better plan than going out there and facing Argent and Derek.

Lydia sighed and rolled her eyes dramatically, “Stiles it wasn’t on purpose. Derek probably just didn’t realize it was us.” She told him as she tugged the covers from his head, knowing that probably wasn’t entirely accurate since she’d told Derek that Stiles was coming over while they were out. “And I can’t believe you’d leave me to face them alone.” Lydia said with a pout. “Come on, get yourself together, we need to go face the music.” She whispered.

“Oh my god. What music? We’re both eighteen now,” he pointed out. “There should be no music to face. We’re consenting adults!” Who happened to still be in high school for another couple months, but that was _so_  beside the point. He sat up reluctantly and moved to get his t-shirt, sighing.

Lydia arched an eyebrow. “It’s Mr. Argent!” She whispered furiously. “And you know what I mean...how would you feel if it was the sheriff or Melissa who walked in?” She asked with an arched eyebrow. Lydia paced back and forth as she pursed her lips, “Maybe they left.” She offered.

Stiles groaned, rubbing his hand over his face before tugging his shirt on. “Horrified, mortified, embarrassed, humiliated, and in fear for my life. So basically how I feel _right now_.”

Lydia paused in her pacing and nodded, “Yes, that’s exactly how I feel. So we just need to go out there and act natural.” She told him, “Because we’re not doing anything wrong. I love you and you love me and sex is a natural part of life.” Lydia responded simply even though her heart was beating quickly. “Maybe they grabbed what they needed and left,” she repeated.

Stiles really, really hoped she was right. Because...so awkward. So very, very awkward. He licked his lips and drew in a breath. “Right.” He reached out and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. They _weren’t_  doing anything wrong.

Lydia nodded squeezing his hand gently as she tugged him towards the door. Lydia pulled it open and they moved out into the hallway. She paused listening and smiled before tugging Stiles towards the living room, “See? They must have decided to-” she stopped when she spotted Chris on the couch with Derek in the chair on the other side of him, “decided to wait in the living room.” She said her voice bright...too bright. “Hi.” She said with a smile.

Awkward. So. So. Awkward. Stiles raked a hand through his hair even as he kept his other one intertwined with hers. “No guy’s night?” He did his best to make his voice sound as normal as possible.

Chris arched an eyebrow, “Derek and I decided to order in,” he commented lightly glancing at Derek who scratched the back of his neck and handed him the menus he’d grabbed from the kitchen. Chris took the menus and held them up, “Would you two like to join us?” He asked.

Lydia couldn’t read the expression on Chris’ face, but she glanced at Stiles and then back at Chris. “Sure,” she said not sure what else to say even though she knew Stiles wasn’t going to like it.

He wanted to bang his head against the wall. “Actually, I should probably get going,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze and taking a deep breath. “Melissa’s supposed to be fixing a big dinner.”

“Ah, just a quick stop by then,” Chris said leaning back against the couch.

Lydia cleared her throat choosing not to answer Chris’ question and glanced at Stiles, “You’ll tell Melissa I said hi?” She asked as she met his gaze.

Stiles rubbed a hand over his face. “Yep, absolutely. I will tell her you said hi.” He waved a hand at Chris and Derek awkwardly before heading toward the front door.

Lydia sighed and turned to face Chris and Derek. “You guys didn’t exactly make him feel welcome.” She said lightly.

Derek smirked up at her and arched his eyebrows, shrugging in that _sorry not sorry_  kind of way.

Chris pursed his lips. “Please tell me the two of you are being safe.”

Lydia opened her mouth and closed it, her face flushing. “This is a new form of nightmare,” she mumbled, “Of course.” She said this time loud enough for Mr. Argent to hear her. “...So are the two of you actually ordering dinner? Because if so I want Italian.” She told them.

Derek was struggling not to laugh. “Spaghetti or fettuccine?” he asked casually, reaching for the menu to Little Italy’s.

“Fettuccine and I want garlic bread and a Shirley temple, with two cherries. And I don’t care if they don’t deliver drinks you’ll make them or you’ll get your little werewolf ass off the couch and pick it up.” She said pointedly. “And I expect tiramisu for dessert.” She said crossing her arms over her chest.

Derek chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.”

Chris studied her for a moment, but remained quiet for the time being.

Lydia nodded. “Well I’m going to go in my room and study for my midterm until the food gets here. I wouldn't want to ruin your guy’s night,” She said giving Chris a slight wave and half a smile as she turned around mumbling, “Sort of like you ruined mine.”

Derek smirked and shook his head before glancing at Chris. “So, Italian it is then.” He said lightly.

 

______

 

Scott flipped the page in his textbook, staring down at the pages. He was bored and he was pretty sure he’d read the same sentence about four times. He sighed flipped the book shut and tossed it over onto his backpack. Scott pushed his chair back, the wheels scraping against the floor as he stood and walked over to his bed.

Scott glanced at the clock and took a deep breath. He could smell dinner and knew it wouldn’t be long before it was ready. Isaac was out with Cora, some kind of one month anniversary, not that either of them were that sentimental and Stiles was with Lydia.

Scott figured maybe he could relax a little or get in a quick nap before dinner. He plopped down on his bed, hands behind his head as he let his eyes fall shut. He hadn’t been sleeping well lately because Stiles hadn’t been sleeping well. He was worried about his friend’s anxiety levels. Scott shook his head and took a deep breath letting himself relax.

A few minutes later he heard the sound of the jeep pulling into the driveway and his eyes popped open. Scott’s brows drew together wondering what his friend was doing home so soon.

Stiles made his way up the stairs, rubbing a hand over his face and tossing his book bag onto the floor of his room before flopping facedown onto the bed. And then grabbing a pillow and pulling it over his head. He could feel Scott’s curiosity and confusion and groaned just a little.

Scott pushed himself off his bed when Stiles didn’t come into his room and got up. He walked across the room, pulled open the door and walked across the hallway to his best friend’s half open door. Scott leaned against the doorframe and arched an eyebrow. “You’re back sooner than I thought you’d be.” He commented, “What’s going on?”

He grunted. “Only the most incredibly awkward and mortifying experience of my entire life,” he mumbled against the comforter. It wasn’t like it mattered. Scott would hear him anyway.

Scott cocked his head to the side not able to even disguise his curiosity. “What happened?” He asked pushing himself away from the door and coming to sit beside his friend on the bed.

“Oh you know. Mr. Argent and freaking Derek just walked in on us, no big deal.”

Scott frowned, “Walked in on you what- _oh_ ,” his eyes widened and he tried not to laugh. “Dude, that’s, were you guys like...in the middle of things?” He asked eyebrow arched. He could see his friend was embarrassed, but he couldn’t help the hint of amusement that he felt.

“It’s _not_  funny. I’m pretty sure Mr. Argent wanted to like, take my head off with one of his very sharp knives,” he said, turning his head and shooting his best friend an annoyed glare.

Scott had the decency to look sheepish. “I’m sure that’s not true.” He said even though it sounded like a pretty accurate description. “I thought the whole reason you were going over there was because Derek was going out with Chris.” He responded, “What were they doing home?”

“They conveniently stopped by to --” He made air quotes with his fingers. “--pick something up. And thought we were burglars.” He dropped his head back down on the mattress, sighing.

Scott arched an eyebrow, “What’s with the air quotes?” He asked patting his friend on the back as his brows drew together.

“Hello? Derek is a werewolf. He has super hearing and super smelling abilities, dude. He knew it was just us. How could he not?” He rolled his eyes. “And yes, they were both there. Walked right in. Chris had a _gun_  pulled.”

“That would freak me out...then again Chris has pulled a gun on me several times. Bright side at least he didn’t mean to pull it on you?” Scott commented, “And I’m sure Derek didn’t do it on purpose...maybe he just wasn’t paying attention.” He told his friend lamely considering it was extremely unlikely that Derek hadn’t known it was them by their scents. “There are times when I don’t hear everything.” They were rare and usually he was very distracted, but still it happened.

Stiles heaved an irritated sigh. Sometimes he really wished Scott wasn’t always so much of a peacemaker. Always trying to smooth out the problems between everyone else. But of course he was because he was the alpha. Even before then Scott hadn’t liked conflict. And Stiles knew why, so he drew in a breath and let it out slowly, letting go of his annoyance. He didn’t want to be annoyed or upset with Scott. “Yeah.”

Scott felt his friend’s annoyance, but he also felt it recede slightly and he pursed his lips. “I’m sorry your night got ruined,” he offered sincerely. “But now you can eat with us,” he said with a grin, “Mom made chicken and rice, which I’m very much looking forward to.” He said as he nudged his friend.

Melissa _was_  an excellent cook. He shifted so he was lying down on his back, rolling his head to look at Scott. “That is a plus,” he conceded.

Scott smiled and he shifted so he was lying beside his friend. “You seem unusually upset,” he remarked sending a sideways glance at his friend, “Is anything else bothering you? Outside of the whole interruption today?”

Stiles pursed his lips and considered that for a moment. “Just the same stuff,” he admitted. “The dreams. The Nemeton.” Nothing had changed with the latter, but it felt like he was in a constant state of waiting for the other shoe to drop. _Hyper vigilance_ , he heard Morrell’s voice echo in his head from long ago and far away. She wasn’t wrong then and he knew it was accurate now, too. “I’m sorry. It’s probably driving you crazy.” His voice was quiet. He was used to having anxiety at some level of another almost constantly. But Scott was bound to him now like the other wolves -- who only felt him when his feelings were too intense to be controlled. It was rare. But Scott was the alpha. He felt all of it. Constantly.

Scott glanced at Stiles, “You have no reason to apologize.” He said honestly, “I just hate that there’s nothing I can do to help. We’ve all been through so much and while these past three months have been a bit of a break from the norm, I feel like you haven’t really gotten to enjoy any of it,” Scott told his friend honestly. “I wish I could help you get rid of some of your anxiety, but we’ll figure things out with the Nemeton. Deaton is still looking into it, Argent too.” He offered.

“You help more than you realize,” he said quietly, shrugging a shoulder. “And it’s not been that bad. I’ve mostly always been like this anyway.” At least since his mom had died he had. Always on edge, even if it was just a little bit. Always waiting for something to go wrong. He’d learned how to shut it down when he was with Morrell, but considering the tether he had with Lydia, he couldn’t anymore. It was too dangerous.

Scott shifted his gaze, “Is it still hard sometimes? Being back.” He knew that Stiles struggled with certain things, he felt it. Scott couldn’t pinpoint what it always was, but he knew he felt pressure to keep the pack safe and to figure out things with Lydia’s banshee powers and probably even to keep him safe. It had to be hard on him.

“Nothing like what it was at first,” he said immediately, feeling the prickle of worry from his friend and he reached out and laid a hand on his arm. “Sometimes I miss being able to shut it all down for a little while.” He pursed his lips. “Just for a break, you know? You ever feel like you wish you could do that?”

Scott contemplated the question. “Yes and no,” he said finally as he shifted angling his body so he was facing Stiles. “Sometimes when the pack is fighting or when things are just intense I wish I could block it all out and not feel all of them,” he replied a hint of guilt in his face as he said the words. “But I don’t really think I feel things the same way you do.” Scott admitted honestly.

He was silent for a minute, “So take a break, it’s not like you’re shutting it off forever. Everyone needs a break sometimes Stiles. It’s okay to need that.” Scott said softly.

Stiles frowned, rolling onto his side so he was facing Scott better, too. He propped his head up on one hand. “You don’t have a reason to feel guilty for wanting the same thing. For the record. But...how do you mean you don’t feel things the same way I do? Because it’s more intense for you?” he guessed, worrying his lower lip with his teeth. “And I can’t. Not if it might hurt Lydia.” His voice dropped.

Scott shook his head, “Actually I meant it’s more intense for you,” he admitted. “The connection between you and Lydia...the way you guys feel each other,” he shrugged, “I don’t think I could take it.” He told his friend honestly. “And Lydia lasted close to a year with you having it all shut off. I’m sure if you talked to her and tell her you need a day or two you guys could work it out.” Scott suggested.

Oh. He blew out a breath and turned his head to look up at the ceiling. “I feel you pretty much constantly too. I don’t know if it’s because you were my tether in the last ice bath I took or if it’s just because it’s you, you know? But it’s still kinda different. Like...you’re steadier in your emotions for the most part? Lydia’s kind of… all over the place a lot.”

Scott nodded, “I feel you too.” He told him, “I don’t mind that part,” he admitted with half a smile. “I like knowing what you’re feeling so I can help. Is that normal?” He asked curiously, “For her to be all over the place? My emotions don’t make things more difficult for you do they?” Scott frowned. He would hate if they did. Stiles had enough to worry about without him adding to it.

“Yeah. I think so, anyway. I think it’s just like, your personality is calmer than hers. Or mine. Or...anyone’s ever.” He shot Scott a tiny smile. “And no. Sometimes I focus on _your_  emotions to deal with anxiety kinds of things,” Stiles admitted. “It’s kind of grounding, I guess. But are you sure it doesn’t bother _you?_  Because I know mine aren’t as...low key as yours are.”

Scott shook his head, “Dude, I’m just glad you’re here and okay. If I’ve got to deal with a little more anxiety than normal, I’ll live.” He said with a grin as he sat up. “You’re my best friend,” he paused, “Actually you’re my brother.” Scott smiled. Stiles had always been his brother, but when their parents tied the knot a month ago and the adoption papers were signed it became that much more permanent.

“I don’t mind at all.” Scott told him honestly. “I’m always here if you need a fix of something calm and steady,” he joked lightly.

Stiles couldn’t help but grin at the reminder of the fact that they were indeed now _legally_  brothers. He could still remember the two of them lying awake during sleepovers after Scott’s dad had left, a few years after Stiles’ mom had passed away, and wondering what it would be like if their remaining parents got married. As it turned out? It was pretty awesome.

“You know, oddly enough…” He paused, thinking how he wanted to phrase what he was about to say. “We’ve always kind of balanced each other out. I mean even before the whole werewolf - emissary stuff.”

Scott watched Stiles for a minute and he nodded. “We have,” he agreed. “You’ve always sort of been like the other half of me,” he said with a laugh. “Is that weird?” Scott shrugged, “I don’t really care if it’s weird,” he realized.

“I don’t think it’s weird,” Stiles said with a slight shrug. “I’ve always felt the same way, dude. We’re like platonic, brotherly soulmates or something.”

Scott nodded. “It’s true. You’ll have to tell Lydia that, which means you guys can never go too far because then I’d have to follow you and that would be creepy.” He commented, “So when you guys get married, make sure she knows we are platonic soulmates first.” Scott told him with a grin.

He smirked. “Dude, we’re not gonna be more than five miles apart at any given time. Well. Living situation wise.” He rolled his head to look at Scott. “Which means we’ve gotta get this college thing figured out like, immediately.”

Scott groaned, “No college talk...please. Mom’s been going on and on and on about it lately.” He sighed, “But I’ve gotten my grades up so we should be good college wise.” Scott paused and arched a brow, “What about Lydia? She’s probably got colleges all over looking at her...five useless languages,” he shook his head. “You need to tell her to aim low so we can all stay together. Five miles at all times,” he pointed out.

Yeah, he was worried about that, too. All of it. He chewed his lower lip as he stared up at the ceiling once more. Lydia was good enough for <i>Harvard.</i> Or Stanford. Or Oxford -- worse case scenario. He wasn’t sure he could handle Lydia being all the way in England. Stanford at least was in California. And it was only a couple of hours from Beacon Hills. He blew out a breath. “I’m hoping she’ll go for Stanford.”

Scott glanced at his friend hesitating, “You don’t know? You guys haven’t talked about it?” He asked keeping his tone light.

“We’ve talked about it. Like, a lot. She just hasn’t decided yet.” Her grades were good enough she could probably wait until the actual _fall_  to make a decision and whatever one she decided on would still accept her.

Scott nodded. “That worries me.” He admitted, “I worry that the pack is going to split up, all in different directions and how that will affect everything.” He sighed. “This conversation just got sadder and more serious than I intended,” he joked.

Stiles looked at him, falling silent for a moment. “Regardless of what everyone else decides, _two_  members of this pack are always going to be within five miles of one another.” His voice was quiet.

Scott glanced at Stiles, his expression relaxing. He reached out and rested a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “Thanks man.” He squeezed his friend’s shoulder and smiled. Scott cocked his head to the side and glanced at the door as he breathed in deeply. “Dinner’s ready,” he commented with a grin.

He smiled back, nodding slightly in acknowledgment, and then shaking his head at Scott’s remark. He sat up on the bed. “You and your werewolf-ness.”

“You love my werewolf-ness.” He said as he stood, “Now get up and come downstairs with me. I’m thinking video game marathon after dinner since our girlfriends are busy.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Stiles responded with a smirk, patting his shoulder as he followed Scott out of his bedroom and down the stairs. “But I’m kicking your ass at Halo.”

Scott grunted, “Yeah, you wish.” He said slapping his friend’s chest lightly as he followed behind Stiles, grin on his face.

______

 

Lydia shifted against the sheets, her body clammy with sweat, brows furrowed. Almost every night it was the same thing. The _same_  dream if it could even be called that. Her bare feet moved along the hard ground, leaves crunched beneath her weight, broken twigs stabbing at her skin. The Nemeton was just in front of her, but her feet were frozen now rooted to the familiar spot.

Lydia glanced around at the empty preserve, her chest tight. She remembered the spot like it was yesterday, then again most people didn’t exactly forget where they died. She frowned a chill running down her spine as the sky darkened. And then she heard it. Lydia’s head whipped back and forth trying to find the source of the sound, the whispered voice.

But it was too far away. It became louder a minute later as another voice joined it and then another. Lydia glanced up and wind whipped around her, the smell of dirt and soil filling the air. She could feel death all around her and fear curled inside her stomach. She tried to focus on what the voices were saying, but she could only hear one word clearly. It was the same word in every dream. Balance.

Lydia lifted her hands to her ears trying to drown out the frantic whispering. She needed to do something. Whatever it was, whatever they were saying she needed it to make sense. Lydia’s legs shook and eventually she fell to her knees and opened her mouth to scream, but nothing came out.

She could feel it in her chest, but something was keeping her from screaming and Lydia had no idea what it was, but it hurt. She clutched at her chest, pain stabbing into her as her heartbeat echoed in her ears. And just when she thought she couldn’t take it anymore Lydia woke up with a gasp, her body shooting straight up in bed.

She sucked in several sharp breaths and ran a shaky hand through her hair. Lydia sat there for a minute before pushing her covers aside and getting out of bed. By now she had a routine, well somewhat of one anyway. Lydia pursed her lips as she padded through her room and to the hallway heading for the bathroom.

She ran some water and brushed it over her face before drying it off with a towel. Lydia filled one of the cups and took a sip, anxiety building in her stomach. The nightmares were getting more frequent and she was growing more on edge with each passing day. Lydia finished her water, put the cup back on the bathroom sink and ran a hand through her hair before fixing the strap on her tank top. Lydia walked out of the bathroom and into the living room silently.

She was getting better at being quiet; living with wolves would do that. She paced the length of the living room for several minutes, but her anxiety levels hadn’t changed. Lydia sunk her teeth into her bottom lip and walked back down the hallway going a couple of feet past her room and reaching for the knob. She hesitated for a second before pushing the door open quietly and carefully stepping into the bedroom.

Lydia shut the door behind her and moved forward pausing by the bed. “Derek,” she whispered as her fingers tugged at the string of her cotton shorts.

Derek sat up almost immediately, blinking in the darkness. “Nightmare?” he guessed.

Lydia shrugged, “I can’t sleep,” she said softly as she reached up and rubbed her chest lightly. She was tired, she’d been tired. Lydia hesitated, “Can I?” she nodded toward the bed as she shifted on her feet.

“Yeah.” He pulled the covers back for her so she could crawl in beside him. “You okay?” His voice was quiet.

Lydia nodded as she climbed into the bed. “Yeah...just tired.” She told him quietly as she shifted trying to get comfortable and ended up staring at the ceiling. Lydia was silent for a minute, “I just don’t want to be alone.” She admitted. Lydia had contemplated asking Stiles to spend the night a few times, but then she’d most likely have to explain the nightmares to him and that wasn’t something she was ready to do yet...not until she knew what they meant.

“It’s fine,” he assured her, shifting so he was facing her after dragging the covers up and over them both. “You don’t have to be.”

Lydia nodded. “Thanks.” She said lightly, “Go back to sleep,” she told him softly, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You can talk to me. You know that.” He gazed at her intently.

Lydia could feel Derek’s gaze on her and she shifted onto her side so she was facing him. “I know,” she replied softly shifting closer to him as she lowered her voice. “I just...I don’t want to worry you unnecessarily. After everything we’ve all been through...nightmares are normal, you know?”

“They are. But sometimes it does help to talk about them,” he pointed out.

Lydia pressed her lips together studying his face for a minute before glancing down. “It’s the same thing all the time.” She admitted. “I’m at the preserve walking until-” Lydia paused, “I’m in the place I died and there’s just a lot of voices, whispering...things I can’t understand.” She frowned shifting again her hand unconsciously moving to her chest, rubbing above her heart at the phantom ache from her dream.

“The noise is overwhelming and it’s all around me, in my head, in the wind...and there’s only one word I can make out before I wake up every time.” Lydia admitted.

Derek frowned at that, reaching out and laying his hand on her arm. “What’s the word that you can make out?”

Lydia swallowed hard and met Derek’s gaze in the darkened room, her heartbeat picking up speed, hesitation clear on her face. She didn’t want to tell him, because a part of her knew, had known for the past three months that maybe, the nightmares that were getting more frequent by the day weren’t just nightmares. “Balance.” She whispered.

He paused, looking troubled. “We need to tell Scott. And Stiles,” he said quietly. “You know that, right?”

Lydia frowned. “No,” she said immediately. She shook her head, “Not until I figure this out. If I thought you were going to tell them I wouldn’t have told you.” She admitted. “I just need more time. They’ve gotten more frequent over the past few months and I-” she paused realizing what she said, “I just mean. I need to figure some things out. And then I will tell them.”

He sighed, giving her a look. “Lydia, if this has been going on for awhile, we _especially_  need to tell them. That’s how we do things, remember? As a pack. Together.”

“Stiles is dealing with his own stuff, Derek. And he doesn’t need more guilt dumped onto him when this could be nothing. It could simply be my worries manifesting themselves in my subconscious mind.” Lydia pointed out. “There’s no reason to get anyone worked up for. Scott is busy trying to figure out how the Nemeton sprouted practically overnight and,” she paused, “This just isn’t a priority.” Lydia replied softly.

He frowned deeply. “It’s _all_  a priority. And what are the chances that it’s just your worries manifesting subconsciously? When is the last time we got _that_  lucky with anything we’ve dealt with?”

Anxiety curled inside of Lydia’s chest at Derek’s words and she sat up, “Why are you making such a big deal out of this?” She asked frustrated.

“Because, Lydia,” he said, sounding just as frustrated. “This stuff isn’t anything to mess around with. And I’d like to have a solution handy before it becomes an actual problem. Be proactive instead of reactive for a change.”

“Oh so now I don’t do anything I just sit around and wait for bad things to happen?” She snapped before shaking her head and sighing. Lydia’s shoulders slumped slightly as she blew out a short breath. “Why are we fighting?” She asked sending him a sideways glance, “We don’t fight.” Lydia could probably count the number of fights they’d had over the past year and a half on one hand.

He gave her a look. “Possibly because you just took everything I said completely out of context,” he said wryly. “You do that when you get pissed off or defensive about something.”

Lydia made a small noise of affirmation. “I’m sorry. I just,” she paused. “I’m tired and I’ve had it up to here,” her hand lifted over her head, “with not being able to understand what’s going on with my own body...my own life.” Lydia ran a hand through her frazzled hair, “I’m this… _thing_ , this harbinger of death pretty much and not being in control of everything I can do frustrates me. I can’t even figure out a simple dream,” she explained.

Lydia’s teeth sunk into her bottom lip briefly, “Instead I always have to share all this personal stuff about me and what I can do and what I _can’t_  figure out with the entire pack. How do you think that makes me feel?” She asked turning to face him.

“We don’t have to tell the entire pack,” he said gently. “Just Scott and Stiles. And I can’t pretend I know exactly what you’re going through, but I imagine it’s not a great feeling.” He was quiet for a moment. “But Lydia, that’s what we’re here for. We’re family.”

Lydia tilted her head in his direction. She knew he was right, they were a family. She sighed. “Stiles is going to be angry,” she commented more to herself than Derek. Lydia knew she probably should have told him when they started, but she knew he was having trouble of his own and hadn’t wanted to add any more stress to his already stress ridden plate. She could feel him when he wasn’t with her and she knew how often his emotions jumbled together.

“Probably,” Derek agreed. “But Stiles really can’t say much about keeping things from other people.”

Lydia paused his comment about Stiles finally registering. “You know, you should probably be a bit more welcoming to Stiles.” She responded meeting his gaze as she reached out and rested a hand on his arm. “He thinks you planned that little stunt with you and Chris earlier you know.” She said with an arched eyebrow. “There has to be something the two of you can semi-bond over.” Lydia said with a yawn.

He sighed and looked up at the ceiling, shrugging. “He’s welcome here. We’re just never going to be best friends, Lydia.”

Lydia sighed, “I know.” She said before changing the subject, “Some days I sort of want to run away and take a mini vacation from my entire life,” Lydia commented lightly. “Chocolate martini’s, half naked servers waiting on me hand and foot, red polka dot bikini by the side of the pool as I attempt to get a tan which will only lead to sunburn,” Lydia sighed.

Derek was silent for a moment. “Maybe you should. Take a mini vacation. For a few days.”

Lydia glanced at Derek and snorted. “Yes, I’ll go do that,” she said with a shake of her head as she laid back down. Between finals, training both the physical kind and the kind with her abilities and life in general there really wasn’t much time for vacations. “Sometimes I wonder about you Hale.”

“Spring break is right around the corner,” Derek reminded her. “We could go somewhere. Do something fun for a change.”

Lydia nodded, “That actually sounds nice,” she said while shifting onto her stomach and slipping a hand beneath the pillow. “We could invite everyone,” she suggested her voice soft against the pillow. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly her body relaxing into the mattress as she slid her hand out and patted his arm gently.

“We could,” he agreed. But logically, someone needed to stay behind and keep an eye on Beacon Hills. But they could figure it all out later. Derek nodded. “I’ll try and do better when it comes to dealing with Stiles.”

Lydia squeezed his arm, “You’re the best.” She said through another yawn. She shifted a little closer to him. “It smells safe,” she mumbled into to the pillow letting her eyes close, “I like it. I’m gonna get some rest,” Lydia said the words barely coming out above a whisper.

“Goodnight, Lydia,” he said quietly, pulling the covers up over her a little more before leaning back and closing his eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

Stiles was crouched down on the ground, gloved hand resting in the packed snow beneath him. He watched the pack from a distance, focused and intent. There were sixteen of them all together. The younger ones were trotting around, playful and nipping lightly at one another, a game. His gaze searched the familiar wolves that he’d spent the last several weeks observing until his eyes rested on the alpha male. He was lying down resting, ears twitching up every so often.

Stiles rubbed a hand over his jaw, tugging his hat down a little lower on his head to cover his ears better. And then something changed. A slight shift in the air that he couldn’t place even though his eyes scanned the surroundings.

He felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up and he rose slowly to his feet, heard the growl in the distance. His gaze immediately darted back to the pack, where the alpha was at the front of the group, between the rest of the pack and the forest, ready to defend from whatever threat that he was also sensing.

A shot rang out and then another.

Stiles’ eyes widened in horror as he watched the alpha hit the ground, blood staining the white snow all around as more shots rang out, more of the wolves falling.

And then he was in Deaton’s office. It was raining outside, pouring. And he saw Scott standing against the metal table with a sword through his stomach, watched the terror flicker over his best friend’s face and watched his own hand lift up to twist the blade farther in his gut as Scott cried out in pain.

He shot up in bed, screaming as his heart beat rapidly against his chest, terror racing through his veins. His legs were tangled in the sheets and blankets as he struggled to get out of the bed, knocking over his bedside lamp in the process and shattering it on the floor before tumbling after it.

Scott. He had to get to Scott.

Two sets of feet pounded across the floor as Scott and Isaac ran through the hallway to Stiles’ bedroom. Scott was the first to burst into Stiles’ bedroom, his chest tight with panic, though Isaac followed him closely.

Scott was by the bed in seconds his heart slamming against his chest. “Stiles,” he gripped his best friend’s shoulders, “You’re okay,” he said quietly, “What happened?” He asked his brows furrowed as he searched his friend’s face.

Isaac glanced around the room the sound of footsteps in the hallway reaching his ears signaling that their parents were awake too.

Stiles reached up and gripped onto Scott’s arms, face drained of all color as he shook, trying to put into words what he’d just dreamt about, the terrifying mental images and ideas that were now racing through his brain.

“Stiles?” Melissa’s voice was full of concern as she reached out and flipped on the bedroom light, eyes widening at the sight of the two boys on the floor in the midst of broken glass. Stiles’ hands were covered in blood. “Oh my god.”

He seemed to realize it at the same time and he jerked away from Scott, eyes widening. “Are you hurt?” he choked out, searching his best friend for injuries.

Scott glanced down; he hadn’t even realized the glass was there. He shook his head, “No, but you are,” he stood and shifted over to Stiles gripping his arms gently. “Isaac, go grab the first aid kit, mom can you come here?” But he didn’t even need to ask Melissa was already walking around the glass and moving in their direction.

Michael frowned, “I’m going to grab something to clean up the glass,” he said wanting to get it out of the way so no one else got hurt.

Melissa paused beside Stiles and waited for Scott to release his arms before she lifted his hands, studying the wounds. “You’ve got some glass stuck in them, but the cuts don’t look too deep. Isaac?”

“I’m here,” he said stepping forward and holding out the first aid kit worry on his face.

Stiles let Scott move him to the edge of his bed before he sat down heavily, staring blankly at his hands as Melissa studied them. His gaze flickered up to his best friend’s face again, his chest tight even if he was slightly calmer now than he had been initially upon waking up from the dream. But he was still trembling.

“Okay, everyone move please,” Michael said patiently as he plugged in the vacuum cleaner and began to clean up the broken glass.

Isaac stepped on the other side of Melissa and Scott lifted himself onto the bed staying beside Stiles as he watched his mom open the first aid kit and go to work fixing up Stiles’ hands. Scott was silent for several minutes before turning his gaze on his friend’s face. He could still feel Stiles’ fear and anxiety. “Are you okay?” He asked quietly.

Stiles swallowed heavily, dropping his gaze and barely reacting as Melissa focused on plucking the glass from his skin. “The dream got worse,” he whispered.

“The one about the wolves?” Isaac asked, frowning and glancing over at Scott and Stiles.

Stiles nodded silently, not looking up.

Michael finished getting the glass up and shut off the vacuum leaning it against the wall as he listened to the conversation. He felt mildly helpless and he wasn’t really sure what to do or say to help his son. “Do you think there’s a reason you keep having the same dream?” He asked quietly.

Scott looked over at Michael and then back at Stiles. “I’ve been asking the same thing,” he said softly.

Stiles shut his eyes, a vague sense of nausea rolling through him that he was struggling to push away. “I think it has to be some kind of metaphor. Symbollic. I don’t think it’s -- I don’t really think it’s about the wolf pack in Alaska,” he said after a moment.

Melissa shifted her gaze from Stiles’ hands to her son momentarily. “You think it’s about this pack.”

He held his breath, nodding slightly. “Yeah. I’m starting to.”

Scott swallowed hard. “You think something is coming?” He asked with a frown.

Isaac sighed, “I knew this lull was too good to last, pack meeting?” He asked glancing at Scott.

Scott frowned, “Probably at some point,” he said keeping his focus on Stiles as his mom put a few band aids on his hands. “I’ll talk to Derek later today see if he can pass on the message.”

Stiles nodded wordlessly, exhaling slowly as he used his senses to check on everyone else in the pack, relaxing just a little when he found them all still safe and within mental reach. He opened his eyes, watching as Melissa finished up what she was doing. “Thank you,” he said very softly. “Sorry I woke everyone up.” He hadn’t had an actual screaming nightmare since…Since the Nogitsune had possessed him. He swallowed heavily, his stomach knotting and flipping over.

“Hey everyone has bad dreams, right?” Isaac rubbed the back of his neck uncertainly, looking at Scott.

Scott nodded. “It’s true,” he commented lightly watching Stiles carefully.

Michael could see how uncomfortable his son was and he cleared his throat. “Mel, why don’t we head to bed...let the boys talk,” he said softly once he saw that she was done cleaning up his hands. He walked over and patted his son’s back gently before holding out a hand to his wife.

Melissa pressed a kiss to Stiles’ forehead, looking worried before she slid her hand into Michael’s. “We’re just down the hall if you need anything.”

“Thanks,” Stiles said softly, looking up at their parents and trying to force a smile.

Scott and Isaac watched them go before Isaac sat on the other side of Stiles’ so they were flanking him.

Scott arched an eyebrow, “You want to talk about it? Did anything new happen?” He asked with a frown.

Stiles stared down at his hands for a long moment. “The alpha was shot,” he whispered. “That’s never happened before. Not once.” He couldn’t bring himself to look at Scott or Isaac either one.

Scott watched his friend, anxiety filling his chest, but it wasn’t his. He rested a hand on his friends back as he met Isaac’s gaze. “Okay, so something’s changed.” He responded quietly. “Is there anything else?” He could see his friend felt bad about the alpha being shot, but that wasn’t his fault.

Isaac cocked his head to the side, “Like maybe seeing the person who shot the alpha?” He asked eyes wide.

“No,” he whispered. “No, whoever it was...they were in the woods. I couldn’t see them.” He squeezed his eyes shut tightly, burying his head in his hands as he remembered the next part of the nightmare. He could feel Isaac’s anxiety beside him, knew that the other wolf was frightened. He reached out with his right hand without opening his eyes, and laid his hand on Isaac’s shoulder, squeezing it gently as he forced himself to take a deep breath.

Isaac sent Stiles half a smile shaking his head at the fact that Stiles was trying to comfort him when he was the one having nightmares.

Scott studied Stiles, “There’s more,” he said matter-of-factly, “Tell us,” he asked hoping Stiles would feel better getting it off his chest. But he honestly wasn’t sure how much it helped. He’d been having these nightmares for a while and Scott knew they were just as bad every time.

Stiles was silent for a long moment. “You and I were at Deaton’s clinic,” he said, voice barely audible. He bit down hard on his lower lip. “It was that night.” He knew he didn’t need to say anything else for Scott to understand what night exactly, that Stiles was referring to.

Scott pursed his lips. He knew exactly what night Stiles was talking about and he hated that it still weighed so heavily on his friend. “Dude...that was a long time ago and you and me, we’re so far passed that.” He told him quietly. “I never blamed you and I never will.” He repeated. “No one blames you.” He told him again Isaac nodding beside him.

“I know,” he said quietly. “I know, Scott. But my brain’s making the connection for a reason. I don’t know why, but it’s there.” He looked at Scott with troubled eyes. “I think it’s some kind of warning. About you.”

Worry crossed Isaac’s face. “Someone’s after Scott?” He said straightening up.

A wave of worry filled Scott and once again it wasn’t his own. He swallowed hard and arched an eyebrow at Stiles. “Dude, you know that I trust your instincts, but between you, Isaac, Derek, the twins...Cora, no one is getting near me,” he said with a short laugh trying to dispel the tension in the room.

Stiles drew in a slow breath, nodding. It wouldn’t be easy to get to Scott. He knew every single person in the pack would willingly die for Scott at this point. The problem was, he didn’t want _any_  of them to have to. And he didn’t want Scott to get hurt, either. “Yeah,” he said quietly. “I know. I know.”

Scott squeezed Stiles’ shoulder. “Would it make you feel better if we brought this up at the meeting that way everyone can be on the lookout?” He asked quietly, “I trust you and if you think this is something...well we’ll get on it before anything happens.”

Isaac nodded with a smile, “Proactive,” he added.

“Proactive is good,” Stiles agreed just as quietly as Scott, nodding. “Yeah. Just in case. No more secrets.” The whole pack knew he’d been having nightmares for awhile now. He wasn’t going to revert back to form now especially if Scott’s life was in danger -- perceived danger or real. He wasn’t okay with either.

 

______

 

Lydia sat on Chris’ couch, legs crossed foot bouncing lightly as she unwrapped a Reese’ peanut butter cup, her gaze drifting down the hallway towards where Allison’s bedroom was. She couldn’t help it. Every time she came to Chris’ house her eyes always found that hallway. Lydia could hear Cora talking to Derek as Chris flipped through some book and they waited for the rest of the pack to get there.

Scott had called Derek early that morning asking him to reach out to everyone and get them together. Lydia had woken up with a ball of anxiety inside of her and it had been steadily growing since that morning. This was not how she intended to spend her Saturday morning, but by the emotions she was getting from Stiles, something was obviously wrong and Lydia didn’t like it one bit.

She bit into the chocolate and closed her eyes letting it melt in her mouth as she pushed some of the excess emotions that were building quickly in her chest out focusing on getting rid of them calmly.

“Hey,” Cora said a hint of annoyance in her voice as she caught the glass that had been shoved into her lap by the redhead’s crazy banshee force field thing.

Lydia’s eyes popped open and she focused on Cora who was wiping some water off her pants as she held the glass in the other hand. She glanced up at Lydia and hit the air, her hand slamming against nothing. Lydia sucked in a deep breath concentrating on pulling her emotions back in and it was gone immediately. “Sorry...I didn’t realize it had gone that far out.” She told Cora as her foot continued tapping. At least she was getting better at controlling it on a smaller scale.

“I’d ask if everything was okay, but between your force field and the fact that Scott had Derek call us all for a pack meeting, I’m guessing I already know the answer,” Cora said wryly, sitting down beside her on the couch. “Plus I keep getting these tiny flare ups of anxiety and I can’t even tell if it’s from Scott or Stiles at this point. I’m guessing Stiles, since Scott’s generally pretty calm.” At least he was since Stiles had returned to town a few months ago.

Lydia tilted her head as she glanced at Cora, “It’s Stiles,” she confirmed. “Scott is just worried.” She took another bite of her peanut butter cup and held out the jumbo package. “Want one?” She asked Cora giving the other girl half a smile.

“Sure.” She reached out and took one from the package. She and Lydia still weren’t best friends, but they were getting along a lot better than they had a few months before. “Is he okay? Stiles, I mean?”

Lydia frowned at Cora’s question as she focused on Stiles, “He’s anxious, tense, worried...upset, and hungry. He didn’t eat breakfast,” she shook her head. “They’re moving in this direction,” she added, “so they should probably be here soon. He’s...all over the place,” she said softly pressing her lips together as she uncrossed her legs and recrossed them. “How are you?” She asked Cora glancing at her.

Cora didn’t like the sound of any of what Lydia just described. Stiles had always been kind of known for having excess, nervous energy since she’d met him a couple years before. He’d calmed down quite a bit in the year he’d been away, but it seemed like something had wound him up again over the last few weeks. She rarely felt it, which she was thankful for, but she could tell when she looked at him that he was anxious. “I can’t complain,” she said honestly, taking a bite of the peanut butter cup.

Chris glanced between Lydia and Cora before his gaze turned to Derek. “Did Scott mention what this was about? Is it just Stiles’ dream or something else?” He asked quietly as he shifted towards Derek.

Derek’s gaze immediately flickered to Lydia for a moment before he looked back at Chris. “No, he didn’t say.” But he was definitely going to be pushing Lydia to talk to Scott and Stiles after the meeting this morning. And possibly Chris, as well.

Chris arched an eyebrow at Derek. “Everything good?” He asked studying the other man.

Derek pursed his lips, shaking his head ever-so-slightly. “Not so much.” His voice was very quiet.

Chris opened his mouth right as the bell rang. He frowned, “We’re not done,” he said lightly giving Derek’s shoulder a light squeeze before moving out into the hallway to grab the door. He pulled it open and smiled at Scott, Stiles, and Isaac, “Come on in boys, the twins should be here soon.” He told them.

Isaac stepped inside first, hugging Chris briefly before heading into the living room and planting himself on the sofa beside Cora. He would have draped his arm around her shoulders, but Derek was standing right there and they tried to be really careful about PDA around the guy. Not that there was much PDA in general.

Stiles followed Scott inside, looking tired and a little paler than usual. He immediately met Lydia’s eyes and smiled just a bit.

Lydia shifted and patted the space beside her as she held out a hand to Stiles, the look on his face making her chest tighten. She hated that he looked so tired and that there didn’t seem to be anything she could do to fix it.

Stiles drew in a breath, moving past Scott and taking Lydia’s hand in his as he sat down beside her. He leaned over, kissing her temple and then winding his arm around her shoulders. “Hey,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she responded softly as she leaned into him, resting a hand on his chest. “How are you holding up?” She asked quietly her gaze going to the bandage on him. She frowned, “What happened?” She asked as Scott and Chris moved into the room.

“I’m…” He hesitated because his first instinct was still to say _fine_. And he wouldn’t do that. Not with Lydia. Not with Scott. And not with the pack. “Worried,” he admitted before glancing down where her eyes fell, “Nightmare broke a lamp.” He replied with a shrug and half a smile.

Lydia nodded, rubbing his arm gently, a frown marring her face. “I see,” she said softly. She could feel his anxiety. This was exactly why she hadn’t bothered telling Stiles about her nightmares. He had enough to deal with, without adding her issues to the mix. She could feel how stressed he was on a daily basis and if her nightmares were some kind of warning about balance, Lydia knew Stiles would take that on himself because he was the one who brought her back.

Stiles had enough guilt to last a lifetime, Lydia loved him and she didn’t want to add to it. The bell rang again and Derek patted Chris on the back lightly before heading out to answer the door for him so they could start their meeting.

Stiles leaned against her side, rubbing her shoulder a little and letting his eyes close for the briefest of moments. The twins stood outside the door and he didn’t have to look or ask to know that’s who it was -- even if he hadn’t been able to sense them, they were the only two who had yet to arrive to the meeting. His head hurt both from not getting enough sleep and from not eating that morning. He’d been too anxious. He was going to have to get a prescription for Xanax again and that didn’t thrill him. Crap was expensive.

“Hey,” Aiden greeted as he stepped into Chris’s apartment and made his way into the living room with the rest of them.

Scott looked away from Stiles and glanced around the room, pushing away from the wall and stepped to the forefront of the room as everyone got situated. Kira was doing some kind of training with her mom, but promised to check in later. Scott cleared his throat and shifted. “Okay, I know everyone’s got stuff to do, so I’ll keep things as short as possible,” he said lightly

“You all know Stiles has been having some odd dreams lately and recently they’ve changed. He thinks the pack might be in danger.” Scott told them his brows drawn together.

Isaac leaned back beside Cora and hesitantly rested a hand on her leg, not sure if he was allowed to do that or not and hoping she wouldn’t slap him. He was worried, not just about the pack and Scott, but about Stiles.

Cora rested her hand over Isaac’s silently as she shifted her gaze between Scott and Stiles.

“Scott, specifically,” Stiles added, leaning forward on the sofa as he reluctantly dropped his arm from around Lydia’s shoulder, though he remained pressed close to her side.

Ethan frowned, “Any idea where the danger is coming from?” He asked an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of his stomach.

Aiden pursed his lips, “What changed in your dream?” He asked curious. They were awfully tense, more so than they’d been since the last time they all talked.

“This time the alpha was shot,” he admitted quietly, glancing up at the twins with a troubled expression. The alpha had <i>died</i>.

Chris shifted crossing his arms across his chest. “And your dream hasn’t given you any indication or hints of what might be coming?” He asked knowing things were never that simple.

Scott glanced at Chris and answered for his friend. “No, but overall I think it would be a good idea to proceed with caution.” He said glancing around, “Buddy system,” he said with half a smile. “And I think it’s important that we keep an eye on the Nemeton. Deaton is still looking into things on that front, but...it’s got to mean something.” He said quietly.

“And what about you?” Lydia asked with an arched eyebrow.

Scott glanced at her a hint of confusion on his face. “What about me?” He asked lightly.

“Stiles thinks you're in danger. I vote that you have your very own bodyguard...people can take turns.” Lydia explained, “If someone is out there one would think they’ll be less likely to attack if you aren’t alone.”

“I agree with Lydia,” Stiles said, looking directly at Scott. He knew Scott wasn’t surprised by this suggestion from any of them, really. He was already nervous about the idea of personally being away from his best friend’s side for any length of time. Which was ridiculous. Sure, Stiles could do a lot more now than he could have once upon a time, but Scott was an alpha werewolf.

“Yeah. Yeah, me too,” Isaac said without hesitation, glancing over at Stiles and Lydia and then looking at Scott. “You should have somebody with you around the clock.”

Scott watched as the rest of them nodded in response to what Lydia, Stiles and Isaac were saying. He’d expected it. Scott nodded glancing over at Derek, “No hiding in the shadows this time,” he joked.

Derek smirked, “Hey knock my method all you want, but when you gave those two the slip, I was still there being vigilant.” He commented with a shrug.

Lydia glanced over her shoulder at Derek and chuckled.

Isaac’s lip twitched and he shook his head. “Who’s gonna take first watch?” He asked glancing around the room.

“I can,” Ethan told them as he shifted in his seat. “If you don’t mind,” he added glancing over at Scott.

Scott smiled, “That’s fine with me,” he said, “I’ll probably be with Stiles the rest of the day, but tomorrow works.” He told him lightly.

Stiles relaxed just a little at the words, nodding in agreement. He’d deal with the anxiety about tomorrow...tomorrow. He chewed his lower lip and drew in a breath before glancing over at Lydia.

“Tomorrow’s fine,” Ethan assured him with a nod. “I’ll be over in the morning.”

Scott nodded. “Great,” he glanced at his best friend watching as Lydia ran a hand down his arm gently. “Do you want to add anything?” He asked his best friend.

“No. I don’t really have anything to add,” Stiles admitted quietly, glancing around. He wished he did. A lot. He just didn’t have anything more to go on other than a vague feeling of something terrible on the horizon, which ultimately wasn’t that helpful. He rubbed a hand over his face.

Scott nodded, “Okay, just...everyone be careful.” He said sincerely watching as they all nodded. “Anyone else have anything?” He asked tilting his head to the side.

Isaac shook his head, “Nothing here.”

Aiden and Ethan also shook their heads. Neither had anything to add.

Chris slipped his hands into his pockets, “I’ll reach out to my contacts and see if they’ve heard about anything moving in on Beacon Hills.” He offered.

Scott met Chris’ gaze, “Thanks, that would be great.”

Stiles pursed his lips, grimacing as his stomach growled. Annoying, he thought with an eye roll especially in a room full of _werewolves_.

Derek glanced over at him with a raised eyebrow. “We have food,” he told Stiles. “I picked up some stuff earlier, before the meeting.”

Stiles nodded, smiling very faintly. “Yeah, I should probably eat something.”

Isaac reached behind Lydia and gently patted Stiles back. “I could eat too,” he said, “Let’s go see what Derek brought.” He said lifting his hand from Cora’s leg and standing up. He glanced at Cora and smiled, “You hungry?”

“I ate, but I could probably eat something else.” Cora rose to her feet, as well, heading for the kitchen.

Stiles glanced at Lydia and arched his eyebrows. “Have you eaten?” he asked quietly.

Lydia nodded, “I have, but I can come with you if you want,” she said as she let her hand slide down his arm again. She hated feeling all the stress that was coming from him and she wished there was something she could do to help him get rid of it.

“Yeah, I do,” he said softly, reaching out and catching her hand in his, lacing their fingers together and pressing a kiss to her knuckles.

Lydia’s expression softened and she leaned into him pressing a light kiss to his cheek. “Come on, let’s feed you before you waste away,” she teased standing up and tugging him with her. Her gaze shifted towards Derek and Chris briefly, but she looked away before either one of them could catch her gaze. There was absolutely no way she was telling Stiles now, not when he was this stressed.

Stiles nodded, letting her tug him to his feet and lead the way to the kitchen. He glanced around to where the various pastries had been set up and he reached out, grabbing a blueberry muffin. He glanced over to where Cora and Isaac were. Cora was sitting on top of the counter, biting into a donut.

“Ooh, coffee.” Stiles moved over to the coffee pot and poured himself a cup, taking a long drink.

Lydia frowned. “You shouldn’t be having coffee until you eat actual food,” she told him even as she took a step closer to him and rested her chin on his shoulder. “What are you doing today?” She asked him softly as her gaze drifted to where Isaac stood staring at Cora, grin on his face. Lydia couldn’t help smiling at that.

Stiles smiled at her concern, leaning back against her. “Scott and I were just gonna hang around the house for the day, I think. My dad’s working, but his mom’s off.” And Scott had already brought up the idea that Stiles should spend a few hours trying to catch up on sleep since it was the weekend. “What about you? Anything planned?”

Lydia sighed, “No plans, though I think we should definitely make some,” she told him matter-of-factly. “I miss you,” she whispered letting her nose brush against his neck, ignoring Isaac and Cora who weren’t really paying attention to them anyway, or maybe they were. Lydia didn’t care, Stiles was her boyfriend and they hadn’t been able to find much time to spend together lately.

“Me too,” he agreed quietly, turning around so he was facing her. He lifted a hand to her cheek. “Wanna plan something for tomorrow?” He searched her eyes.

Lydia slid her hands down his sides gripping his midsection as she leaned into his touch. She swallowed hard and nodded, “Yes,” she told him as she brushed her thumb along his side. “What’d you have in mind?” She asked as she met his gaze.

Stiles kissed her softly on the mouth, leaning his forehead against hers as he considered. “Well, we could start out with going for brunch,” he suggested. “Maybe see a movie? Just spend the day together.”

Lydia leaned into him and nodded, “I like that idea,” something normal. She could definitely use that with everything that was going on and so could he. “Maybe,” she paused, “Maybe we can spend the night together too,” Lydia said softly. “If you wanted to.”

“It’s never a question of want,” he admitted, tucking some hair behind her ear. “But we may need to install a lock on your bedroom door.” Not that it would really _stop_  anyone in the building from breaking the door down.

Lydia smirked. “That will be my top priority,” she teased. They absolutely needed some time alone and while Lydia would love nothing more than to indulge in a little naked time with Stiles, her inviting him over was more than that. She shifted into him resting her forehead near his shoulder, all teasing gone from her voice when she spoke. “I don’t like sleeping alone,” she admitted quietly.

Lydia had grown accustomed to having a warm body in bed with her. It was comforting and she never seemed to have as many nightmares when she was in bed with someone else. Who would have thought she was a closet cuddler? Certainly not her. But she craved the contact. Lydia knew she was taking a risk, but she was hoping with him there she wouldn’t have any nightmares.

Stiles didn’t really like sleeping alone either. Maybe it was codependent, but he just didn’t sleep as well as he did if Lydia or Scott were there with him. For whatever reason, either of them being in close proximity as he slept seemed to keep his nightmares at bay, even if he hadn’t said anything. He didn’t want either of them to feel obligated to guard him as he slept. It was a level of dependency he really didn’t want to count on at this point. “Me either,” he admitted, gently rubbing her back.

Lydia relaxed against him, “So, that’s a yes then?” She asked softly as she tilted her head to the side and caught his gaze.

“It’s definitely a yes.” Stiles nodded.

Lydia smiled, “Good,” she said softly as she leaned up and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

Cora glanced over and made a face. “Get a room you two, some people are trying to eat here. She said, though there was no bite to her tone.

Stiles smirked over at her. “Says she who’s making doe-eyes at Isaac while she eats a _donut._ ” he responded lightly.

Cora snorted, “Doe-eyes? Please,” she told him even as a slight flush colored her cheeks. “Who do you think I am your girlfriend?” Her gaze drifted to Lydia.

Lydia arched an eyebrow, “Leave me out of your little tiff children. And for the record I’m not the doe-eyed kind of girl,” Lydia informed her.

Isaac snickered as he nudged Cora, “She’s more like a maneater.” He joked amused.

Lydia glared, “Hey,” she warned.

Stiles shook his head, pulling Lydia a little closer just in case she decided to glare more ferociously at Isaac, even as he shot the guy a look, too. “Be nice.” He shifted his gaze back to Lydia. “And you’re neither doe-eyed nor a maneater. You’re my strawberry blonde banshee goddess.”

Cora made a gagging noise and he stuck his tongue out at her in response.

Lydia ignored Cora, her obnoxiousness was practically part of her daily routine, it didn’t bother her nearly as much as it used to. It helped that she knew the other girl didn’t really mean what she said nowadays since they mostly got along now. Her gaze stayed on Stiles as a slow smile spread across her face. “Goddess huh?” She slid her arms around his neck, “that’s a new one.” she said trying not to let her grin get too wide. She’d hate for someone to call her sappy, though it was possible Stiles’ compliments always made her melt a little inside. “I kinda love you.” She told him matter-of-factly.

“Only in the out loud kind of way is it actually new,” Stiles informed her. “I’ve been calling you that in my head for awhile.” He shrugged, bright smile spreading across his face at her words. “I kinda love you, too.”

Lydia glanced down, the smile still on her face as she rested her hands on Stiles’ chest. She glanced up a minute later warmth filling her, “You’re such a dork.”  She said affectionately. For some reason every time Stiles complimented her, she always felt like she didn’t deserve it.

“We already knew that,” said Ethan as he and Aiden walked into the kitchen, grin on his face.

Aiden chuckled and shook his head as he moved over to grab a donut.

Lydia shot a look in his direction. “Be nice, he’s my dork.” She said pointedly and Ethan just held up his hands, humor on his face.

Stiles smiled at her words. “I am.” He shrugged, kissing her lightly and glancing over at the twins, smirking. “Don’t eat _all_  the donuts. The non-wolves of the pack need to eat, too, you know.”

Ethan just waved him off as he walked over to his brother.

Lydia shook her head and smiled. She glanced at Stiles and patted his chest, “I’m going to run to the bathroom, grab me a donut too.” She said lightly.

“What kind do you want?” he asked, moving over to the donut box.

“Surprise me,” she said with a grin as she stepped away from him and walked out of the kitchen bumping into Chris on the way out. “Oh, sorry,” she said with a smile as she glanced between him, Scott and Derek. “You guys better get in there if you expect to get anything to eat.” She told them with a smile.

Stiles snagged three donuts from the box, one chocolate, one maple and one glazed, setting them on a paper plate and moving over to lean against the opposite counter, arching his eyebrows in the direction of the other three heading in as Lydia left the room. “Saved you one,” he informed Scott, holding the chocolate one out to him.

Scott grinned and made his way over to Stiles, patting his friend on the back, “Always thinking of me,” he said as he took the donut and took a large bite. “So, what are we doing when we head out?” He asked, “Something not Nemeton related.” He joked.

“Definitely something not Nemeton related. I’m thinking movie and game marathon,” he informed him, taking a bite of the glazed donut and saving the maple one for Lydia.

“Sounds like a good time,” Chris said, glancing between them as he grabbed a croissant and took a bite.

Scott nodded, “In preparation for spring break,” he joked glancing at Stiles.

“What’s in preparation for spring break?” Lydia asked as she came back into the room passing Derek on the way in who was eyeing his sister and Isaac. She squeezed his arm gently before moving over to stand beside Stiles.

“Lots of game playing and movie marathons,” Stiles told her, sliding his arm around her and handing her the maple donut.

Lydia arched an eyebrow, “Or we use spring break for what it’s actually made for a take a break,” she said lightly as she took the donut and broke it in half before taking a bite.

“You mean we’re going to Daytona for beaches, babes and bikinis?” Stiles smirked.

Lydia arched an eyebrow, “Absolutely, though I’d prefer beaches, boys, and board shorts, but to each their own.” She quipped.

Aiden glanced up, “Count me in.” He spoke up from the other end of the kitchen with a smirk.

Scott shook his head. “You’re all terrible,” he said as he took another bite of his donut.

Stiles chuckled and glanced at him. “Come on, Scottie. It could be fun.”

Chris rolled his eyes and shook his head at their antics. “Every once in a while I suddenly remember that I’m surrounded by hormonal teenagers.”

Derek arched an eyebrow, “You’re just _now_  realizing that?” He asked shaking his head with a slight smirk.

Scott grunted. “I’m offended by that; I’m a very respectful teenager.” He pointed out, “Way more respectful than any of them.” He said with a grin glancing at his best friend. “Especially those two.” he mumbled.

“Hey. I’m extremely respectful,” Stiles informed him, nudging him with his elbow and taking a big bite of glazed donut.

“No one’s as respectful as Scott,” Ethan pointed out.

“Well yeah,” Stiles agreed around a mouthful of donut. “He’s _Scott_.”

Scott frowned, “Why do I feel like I’m being insulted?” He asked his brows furrowing.

Lydia patted him on the shoulder. “They’re all just jealous that you’re more polite than they are.”

Stiles rolled his eyes and swallowed his food. “It wasn’t an insult. I’m just saying the bar is set incredibly high and we all fall short. It’s an insult to us not you. Dumbass.”

Scott ate the last of his donut and glanced at Stiles. “I’m not feeling the normal amount of love dude.” He shook his head, but there was a hint of a smile on his face as he glanced over at the clock. “You want to head out soon?” He asked glancing at his friend. The meeting was over and since no one had wanted to add anything else Scott figured he and Stiles could hang out for a bit before Kira came over later.

Stiles flashed Scott a bright smile. “I assure you, I still love you as much as always,” he said, patting his shoulder and following Scott’s gaze to the clock. Then he glanced at Lydia, arching his eyebrows. He leaned over and kissed her cheek lightly. “I’ll call you about tomorrow?”

Lydia nodded. “You better.” She said lightly sending him half a smile as she ran her free hand down his arm.

“I love you,” Stiles said softly, kissing her temple.

Lydia closed her eyes briefly as his lips pressed against her skin. “I love you, too.” She whispered opening her eyes a few seconds later.

Scott pushed himself forward and smiled at Lydia. She returned it and then he turned to Chris, “Thanks for letting us invade your apartment for the meeting I’ll let you know if anything changes.” He told the other man.

Stiles gave her arm a gentle squeeze and turned his attention to Chris, as well.

“Not a problem,” Chris assured Scott with a small smile. “Definitely keep me in the loop.” He reached his hand out and shook Scott’s hand.

Scott nodded before glancing around, “I’ll see you guys later, and remember, please be careful.” He told them before glancing at Isaac, “You coming back with us?” He asked lightly.

Isaac contemplated the question for a moment before turning his gaze on Cora, “Feel like playing some video games?” He asked with a smirk.

“Why not?” Cora slid off the counter. “I’ll kick all of your asses,” she said smugly.

Stiles smirked. “Bring it on, Hale.”

Lydia sighed, “God...I’m dating one of those,” She glanced up and shook her head as she finished her donut.

Isaac rolled his eyes at Lydia’s comment as he shifted closer to Cora his hand hovering near her back. “She complains, but she loves us.” He said as he turned his gaze on Cora. “You won’t beat me.” He commented with a grin.

The younger Hale rolled her eyes at Isaac's comment about Lydia, but there was a hint of a smile on her face. “Just wait and see,” Cora said matter-of-factly. “I’ve been practicing.”

Lydia watched Isaac shake his head as he followed Scott and Stiles out of the kitchen guiding Cora with him. She brushed her hands off, glanced up, and shifted forward until she was beside Chris and Derek. They glanced at her and she smiled before her eyes focused on Chris. “I was wondering what your plans were today?” she inquired.

“Not a thing,” Chris assured her. “What do you have in mind?”

Lydia angled her head to the side, “I was hoping we could get a little more training in, I still haven’t quite gotten the hang of the new knife set, the weight is different,” She commented. She had energy to burn, well not so much energy as tension. Plus she was hopping tiring herself out might make her sleep a little better tonight.

“We can do that,” Chris agreed, nodding and taking a drink of coffee.

Lydia smiled, “Great.” She kept her tone light feeling Ethan and Aiden watching her. “Well I’m going to go change then and I’ll be back in a little bit.” She shifted back and glanced at Derek. “You coming?”

Derek watched her for a minute before nodding, “In a little bit.”

Lydia shifted her gaze to Ethan and Aiden and gave them a small wave before heading out of the kitchen and back toward the apartment.

“We should probably head out too,” Aiden said as he grabbed another donut. “One for the road,” he smirked as he nudged his brother towards the hallway.

Derek watched them go waiting for the sound of the apartment door clicking shut and the footsteps to fade before turning to Chris and slipping his hands into his pockets. He pursed his lips. “We need to talk.” he stated knowing whether Lydia liked it or not they needed to tell someone about the nightmares, someone who could research with them even if she got mad at him. He would bet anything this had to do with what happened a few months back and there was no way Derek was risking her life again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chris stood off to the side arms crossed over his chest, eyes on the red head in front of him. It was late afternoon and the sun had just past its peak, the heat finally letting up a bit. He cocked his head to the side as he watched Lydia step forward, “Wrong foot,” he called out watching her make the correction almost immediately as she flipped the dagger in her hand, gripping the handle tightly and using the momentum of her body to fling it towards the target.

Lydia grinned when it hit the ring just outside the middle. They had been out there for at least an hour already working on getting used to the new knife set, feeling the weight in her hand, letting the knife become an extension of herself. She glanced over her shoulder her ponytailed hair whipping around as she grinned. “That one was better.” She stated.

Chris sent her half a smile and nodded as she pushed away from the tree. Despite the fact that he had an entire room to train in back at the apartment building, which was where Lydia’s initial lessons had started, they often made their way out to the preserve to practice in the open. “It was.” He agreed as he walked slowly towards her. “How are you feeling about them now?” He asked.

Lydia nodded, “Better,” she offered. It wasn’t perfect, but she was finally getting used to using them. Her gaze flickered over to Mr. Argent again briefly before she pushed herself forward and walked over to the target on the tree in front of her to grab her knife. “You’ve been quieter than usual.” She observed.

Chris watched as she pulled the knife out of the target and debated on whether or not to bring up his conversation with Derek earlier and figured he might as well. He slipped his hands into his jean pockets as he spoke. “I talked with Derek this morning after the meeting when you went to change.” He told her.

Lydia hesitated, her finger sliding across the hilt of the knife as she turned to face Mr. Argent. She pressed her lips together avoiding his gaze. “Oh?” Her tone was casual as she walked back towards the case on the ground.

Chris frowned. “Is that all you have to say?” When she still said nothing he sighed, “Lydia this isn’t something you can just ignore. Derek is right you know. You need to tell Scott and Stiles. This is something we should already be looking into.” He told the teenager quietly.

Lydia huffed as she slid the knife into its holder and stood turning to face Mr. Argent, leaves crunching beneath her sneakers. “And what exactly are they going to do?” She asked arms coming up to cross over her chest, eyes narrowing in his direction. “Scott is trying to figure out what’s going on with the nemeton, Stiles thinks something is coming for Scott and neither of them have any answers yet.” She stated jerking one arm out and pointing at Mr. Argent.

“Throwing this onto the pile of problems isn’t helpful especially when I have no idea what it all means.” The redhead snapped her voice echoing around the quiet area.

Chris said nothing for a minute instead he let her get everything out not bothering to cut her off knowing she needed this. She needed to let all this stress out or it was going to overload her and that wouldn’t be good for any of them. When he was sure she was done he broke the silence surround them. “Lydia I get that you don’t want to add onto the already complicated situation. But what happens when these dreams that are likely meant to warn you, are no longer in your head but happening?” He asked.

Lydia held Mr. Argent’s gaze for a moment before swallowing hard and looking away as she dropped her hands to her sides. “I didn’t come here for a lecture.” She replied stubbornly. “I thought we were supposed to be working on my fighting skills.”

Chris’ jaw clenched at her dismissal despite the fact that he had expected it. Lydia was a lot like his daughter in that way. Stubborn, independent, and always trying to handle things on her own no matter the cost. He swallowed hard and nodded. He shifted into a fighter’s stance and put his arms up waving her towards him. “Hand to hand.” He stated.

Lydia studied Mr. Argent for a minute before shifting her body to mirror his. She felt her adrenaline spike knowing the hard set of his jaw was from her refusal to talk about what was going on. But what he didn’t understand was that she couldn’t. She needed to handle this one herself. Ever since she’d found out about her abilities, they had been controlling her. For once she wanted to be able to control them and she was working on that.

The air changing around her body pulled Lydia from her thoughts and her arm came up immediately almost out of reflex blocking the punch that Mr. Argent had just thrown her way. Her forearm stung and she shifted her body angling it to the side as she kicked out catching him in the knee.

Chris grunted slightly, but righted himself quick as he thrust his arm out blocking a punch Lydia threw at him. “You need to focus,” he stated as he landed a hit to her arm making her stumble back slightly.

Lydia’s jaw clenched, “I _am_ focusing.” She told him annoyance coloring her tone as she shifted forward and threw her arm out again angry when he blocked it. She stepped forward advancing on him and shifted to the right barely missing a punch he threw her way. Lydia ducked down slid out her hand effortlessly throwing an upper cut in Argent’s direction, which he also blocked.

A disgruntled noise left her throat and she pulled her arm back, frustration building inside of her and used the force of her body to slam her hand into his chest. But something happened before her hand could even make contact with his skin. The energy that had been building inside of her funneled into her hand and the force of the barrier of energy slammed into Agent knocking him back several feet.

Lydia’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open when Mr. Argent hit the ground several feet away. Seconds later dead leaves and twigs were crunching beneath her feet as she ran across the small distance and bent down beside him. “Oh my god, are you okay?” She asked in a rush as she reached out to him, her chest tightening. “I am so sorry Mr. Argent. I didn’t mean to—I don’t even know what happened.” She admitted, her heart hammering heavily in her chest.

Chris let her help him into a sitting position and then he brushed his hands down his pants getting the dirt off before standing. “It’s okay Lydia. I know you didn’t and I think I know what happened.” He said sending her half a smile.

Lydia frowned as she straightened up to. “What do you mean? What happened?” She asked brows drawing together.

Chris arched a brow in her direction. “You were angry at me. If I had to guess your emotions got the better of you and somehow you channeled that energy into your punch. So instead of creating a barrier the way you’ve been doing, you’re releasing it like a burst of energy as a physical force.” He offered as he met her gaze.

Lydia opened her mouth and then closed it and sighed. “That makes sense.” And the fact that it hadn’t occurred to her just proved how out of it she was lately. She reached up and flicked the hair from her ponytail away from her shoulder while sighing.

Chris watched her for a minute. “We can work on controlling your emotions more,” he offered, “maybe if we do that then you’ll be able to harness this and use it while you fight. It would definitely give you an edge.” He told her as he started walking back towards where they’d put their things down.

Lydia hesitated before following behind him. She wanted to apologize about getting so angry but she wasn’t exactly sure how. “Mr. Argent--”

“I know,” he said cutting her off before glancing over his shoulder. “I should have left it alone.” He admitted as he turned fully to face her when she paused just in front of him. “I just worry Lydia.” He hesitated before reaching out and resting a hand on her shoulder. “I worry that you aren’t taking this seriously enough. I worry that there’s more to the dreams than you think. You’ve already died once.” He swallowed heavily and met her gaze, “I don’t want to bury another daughter.” And yes Chris knew Lydia wasn’t his daughter, but she’d certainly come to be one to him over the years.

Lydia’s chest tightened at his words, eyes burning with unshed tears. She shifted forward and pushed herself onto her toes wrapping her arms around him. “I know,” she whispered, “I’m sorry…I know you’re just worried, Derek too.” She swallowed heavily and squeezed her eyes shut when she felt him hug her back. “I’ll tell them okay? And we’ll all figure this out together.” She told him quietly.

Chris nodded as he rubbed Lydia’s back gently before pulling back enough to see her face. He gripped the sides of her arms gently. “I think that’s a good idea.” He told her honestly. “Now come on. How about we grab a late lunch?” He asked with a smile.

Lydia grinned feeling a bit better, “Yeah I’d like that. Let me just grab the rest of my stuff and then I’ll follow you in my car.”

Chris nodded as he shifted towards their things again and grabbed his jacket, pulling it on before making his way over to the tree to take down the targets.

Lydia watched him go and then bent down to pick up her knives. Maybe Derek and Mr. Argent were right, maybe telling Stiles and Scott would help and they’d finally be able to figure out her dreams. Another part of her though had a feeling that whatever information they found out wasn’t exactly going to make things better.

 

______

 

Cora’s grip on the small white remote tightened and she slammed her hand forward in an arc, the ball on the screen sailing across the net and past the little person on the other side. The game cheered and the youngest Hale’s grin brightened. “And game point!” She called out triumphantly turning to smirk at Stiles. “Told you I’d win.” She stated matter-of-factly.

Scott chuckled and Isaac beamed proudly as Stiles groaned. “Best out of three!” He demanded. They had switched from Mario Kart to Call of Duty and then finally Wii Sports, which is what they were currently playing.

Cora shook her head and tossed the remote carefully on the bed. “Nope, take the lose gracefully Stilinski.” She replied with a grin as her gaze shifted over to Isaac who was shaking his head affectionately.

Scott pushed himself up from the gaming chair and stretched. He glanced over towards the window noticing it was already starting to get dark out. “You guys hungry?”

Isaac looked away from Cora and nodded, “I could eat,” he replied as he reached for one of the remotes that had fallen.

Stiles glanced between them, “I’ll grab some snacks from downstairs and order pizza.” He offered figuring it would be a good time to move around a bit and try to decipher the anxiety that had been steadily building inside of him for the past hour despite all the fun they were having.

Scott’s brows furrowed slightly, his gaze shifting towards his best friend. “You okay?” He asked. The young alpha had been feeling the stirring anxiety inside his friend, but it seemed like it was at a normal level until a few seconds ago.

Stiles nodded and shot his best friend half a smile. “Yeah, you know me I just need to move around a bit. I’m good.” He promised.

Isaac glanced between them and before he could even open his mouth Cora was moving over to Stiles and talking. “I’ll help.” She stated before looking over at Isaac and Scott, “And you two, practice while I’m gone will you?” She asked with a smirk as she gave Stiles a gently shove towards the doorway.

Stiles chuckled when Isaac huffed and Scott pouted. He shook his head and stepped out of the bedroom. He walked down the hallway to the stairs and made his way down, Cora right behind him. Once they reached the bottom of the steps Stiles made his way into the kitchen his hand going to the back of his neck, rubbing the skin there lightly.

Cora studied his movements and she pursed her lips as she leaned against the counter. “Something is wrong.” She stated.

Stile’s gaze shifted to Cora as the youngest Hale arched an eyebrow in his direction. He sighed and shook his head. “Nothing is wrong. Between the dreams and trying to figure out what’s happening with the Nemeton I’m just anxious and something feels off tonight.” He admitted as he shifted towards the drawer and grabbed a menu.

Cora nodded as she crossed her arms over her chest. “We’ll figure it out.” She told him because she believed that. It was true when she first came back to Beacon Hills she wasn’t exactly excited about being a part of Scott’s pack. It wasn’t something she’d wanted. But things change. After what happened with Peter and Malia, the cousin that was still off in parts unknown ever since they’d let her go, Cora was a lot more protective of the people around her.

She no longer felt like she didn’t belong. Between her brother, Isaac and Stiles there was enough keeping her in Beacon Hills. And Scott…he wasn’t so bad after all. He really did care about them and while Cora still wasn’t entirely happy with the twins being around she’d definitely learned to tolerate the redhead that she and her brother lived with. Lydia wasn’t all that bad she guessed.

Stiles nodded, he appreciated her words even if he wasn’t entirely sure they would. “Penny for your thoughts,” He inquired after a minute when he broke the silence in the kitchen a hint of amusement on his face at the way Cora seemed to have zoned out. “Thinking about that boyfriend of yours,” he teased good naturedly.

Cora rolled her eyes and dropped her arms from her chest. “He’s not my boyfriend,” she said pointedly watching as Stiles smirked and held up his hands.

“What exactly is he then?” Stiles asked while spreading the menu out on the counter and reaching for the phone.

Cora opened her mouth and hesitated. “We’re taking things slow.” She replied giving the barest amount of detail possible. She was an incredibly private person especially when it came to things like this. “One day at a time. Neither of us have had many relationships and the one’s we’ve had well…they certainly didn’t end up good.” She explained quietly with a shrug. “So we’re not labeling it, but whatever it is, it’s going well.” She said finally as she rested her palms on the counter.

Stiles sent her a genuine smile. “I’m glad. You two seem to work well together,” he added before nodding his head towards the cabinet. “Grab some bowls. We’ve got chips in the cabinet too. We can bring some upstairs to tide us over until the pizza gets here.” He said while dialing the number.

Cora sent him half a grin, “Thanks,” she responded before nodding her head and moving over to the cabinet to grab two bowls. She could hear Stiles ordering two large pies, one meat lovers and the other extra cheese. She closed the cabinet and walked back over to the counter putting the bowls down before walking to the cupboard and grabbing the large bag of chips.

Stiles ended the call and watched Cora for a minute before hanging up the phone and walking over to the refrigerator to grab drinks. “How are things going at the new place?” He knew they’d been there for a few months now, “Settling in okay, not trying to kill anyone in their sleep and by anyone I of course mean my girlfriend.” He joked. Stiles knew they were getting along a lot better now than they had been before.

Cora rolled her eyes. “Your girlfriend is perfectly safe from me and pretty much anyone or anything else. With my brother there and Argent a floor below not to mention the knife throwing princess herself, I’m pretty sure you can lay those fears to rest.”

Stiles grunted at the mention of Derek. “Ah yes, that brother of yours,” he said a hint of annoyance in his voice. He was still irritated about what happened the other night. There was no way Derek didn’t know perfectly well what was happening between him and Lydia when he let Argent burst into the room.

Cora arched a brow at Stiles’ tone and glanced over at her friend as he shut the refrigerator a few cans of soda in his hands. “What did he do this time?” She asked with a sigh.

Stiles’ gaze drifted over to Cora as she grabbed the now full bowls in each hand and waited for his answer. “Lydia and I were…hanging out and he and Argent burst into the room in the middle of us…hanging out.” He replied uncomfortably.

Cora had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing because she could tell Stiles was actually upset. She pressed her lips together for a minute before nodding. “That was a dick move.” She stated.

Stiles jerked his soda filled hand out at her, eyes widening a bit, “That’s exactly what I said!” He told her. “But of course Lydia defended him and Scott was all; well maybe he didn’t hear you.” He rolled his eyes, “He definitely heard us and he had to know what was going on. He’s an ass.” Stiles stated.

Cora shrugged, “He can be.” She agreed. “He’s protective of her in a way I haven’t seen in a long time. I’m pretty sure he thinks Lydia should have waited a bit more before forgiving you.” She told her friend.

Stiles’ eyes narrowed. “Well who is he to make that call?” He snapped even though he didn’t expect an answer. “He needs to back off. Lydia and I love each other and that has nothing to do with him.” Stiles told her calmly, shoving the anger down inside of him and clamping down on that emotion so Scott and Lydia wouldn’t be worried. He knew how strong their connection was.

Cora arched both brows. “Whoa, chill Rambo. Lydia obviously doesn’t care what my brother thinks since she’s with you, so why does it matter?” She asked as she started for the doorway.

Stiles sighed deflating slightly as he followed behind her back towards the stairs. “It matters because it makes it difficult for us to get any time alone together,” he hesitated, “Plus I know how close they are.” He said.

Cora glanced over her shoulder at Stiles briefly as she walked up the stairs, “And even though you don’t really bring it up anymore it still makes you uncomfortable.” She said simply as they reached the landing upstairs. She shifted forward and waited for him.

Stiles met her gaze and nodded. “Yeah…yeah I guess it does. I’m an ass right?” He asked her with a frown.

Cora shook her head. “Not at all. I get it. If Isaac was that close with someone else,” she paused, “Well let’s just say I wouldn’t take it well either. I know you’ve talked to her about it before Stiles, but even _I_ know if it’s still bugging you it’s probably something you should you know communicate about or something.”

Stiles studied Cora for a minute and then grinned, “You know, you give pretty good advice,” he teased, “for someone who lacks the emotional capacity for – _omph_.” He laughed even as he reached for his stomach where her elbow had hit gently. “Be careful with the human.” He joked.

Cora rolled her eyes and made her way towards Scott’s bedroom, “Well then don’t piss off the werewolf,” she called with a grin over her shoulder.

Stiles just shook his head and followed her back into the bedroom knowing despite the teasing Cora was right. He was going to need to sit down and have a talk with Lydia and he would…after their little sleep over tomorrow.

 

______

 

Lydia rolled her neck back and forth as she drove down the narrow road back towards town. She glanced out the window with a frown not realizing how late it had gotten. After leaving the preserve she and Mr. Argent had grabbed some lunch. He’d gotten a call just when they were finishing up and the conversation had seemed sort of intense so Lydia told him to go on and head out and she’d make sure the bill was paid and head home.

A beeping noise drew Lydia from her thoughts and she blinked letting her gaze drop from the road for a brief second to glance around the car. Seconds later she saw the gas icon blinking on her dashboard. She groaned, “Did I seriously forget to fill the car up? I could have sworn I did if before I left this morning.” She huffed as she looked back out at the road.

Lydia’s gaze drifted over to the mile marker on her right and she frowned, “What the hell,” she whispered. She was a lot further out than she had been for lunch, which was weird because she’d been going home. A flash of lights on her left drew her attention and she spotted an old rundown looking gas station.

Something in Lydia’s stomach fluttered as she pulled into the empty gas station. She parked her car and swallowed heavily as she sat there looking around. She shook her head and pushed her car door open. Lydia stepped over to the pump, but before she could reach out to grab it her body shifted and she started walking towards the small store across from the pumps.

Lydia angled her head to the side when she saw the door open. She paused just outside and reached out her hand gripping the doorway, the cool metal stinging her hand. Something was pulling her in and she had a feeling she knew exactly what it was. She stepped into the store, her sneaker clad feet hitting the floor nearly silently.

Her heartbeat slammed heavily in her chest, but she continued inside moving in the direction of the counter and that’s when she spotted it off to the side on the dirty old wall. Streaks of red. Lydia pressed her lips together as an odd feeling settled in her chest. Her feet kept moving and when she reached the side of the counter and glanced behind she inhaled deeply at the sight in front of her.

No wonder the place looked abandoned. Whoever did work there was now covering the ground and walls behind the counter. Lydia’s stomach rolled and she stepped back the amount of blood pooling on the floor…it was clear that whatever did this wasn’t messing around. She felt the scream building in her throat and Lydia didn’t bother to fight it. Instead she inhaled deeply, opened her mouth, and screamed.


	4. Chapter 4

The moment his jeep was in the park position at the gas station, Stiles launched himself out the driver’s side door, making his way over to where Lydia is standing, face pale, with one of Derek’s arms draped around her shoulders. He tried to shove away the flash of bitterness he feelt at the sight of the older werewolf. Derek wasn’t his enemy. Derek was a friend. 

Sort of. 

“What happened?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder to see Scott moving up to join them. 

Lydia turned when she heard the sound of Stiles’ voice a hint of relief filling her expression. “There’s a body in the back. I was coming home from lunch with Mr. Argent and I,” she paused and shook her head swallowing hard. “I don’t know. I just ended up here. I didn’t realize until...it’s been a while since something like this has happened.” She added because that was the truth. The last time she could remember it happening was when Stiles was gone, which was a long time ago.

Derek shifted his gaze drifting from Stiles to Scott as he paused near them. He nodded towards the back. “Body’s torn apart.” 

Stiles met Lydia’s gaze for a moment, resisting the urge to reach out and squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. He couldn’t anyway -- Derek’s hand is already there. So he drew in a breath, sliding a hand into his jacket pocket, instinctively reaching for a cigarette that wasn’t there because he’d been trying to quit.  “Did you get any scent?” he asked Derek, pressing his lips together.

Derek studied the teenager for a minute before shaking his head. “Not really something about it was off. For a minute it seemed familiar, but I’m not sure.” he admitted.

Lydia stayed silent, brows furrowing at the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach combined with whatever it was she was feeling from Stiles. She glanced sideways at Derek, brushing her hand against his arm to get his attention. When he looked at her with an arched brow she spoke. “Why don’t you show Scott, maybe he can help.” She offered, plus she wanted a minute with Stiles.

Scott glanced between Stiles and Derek, then let his gaze focus on Lydia. “Yeah, hopefully,” he agreed, reaching out and patting Stiles’s shoulder before following Derek away toward the bathroom. 

Stiles watched them go, barely stopping himself from rising up on his toes with the urge to move, to follow. He was going to have to see the crime scene, the body. But he could also tell that Lydia wanted to talk to him. “You okay?”  

Lydia nodded, she hesitated a second before stepping forward and reaching out to him. “Thanks for coming so fast,” she said softly as she gripped his midsection. “I thought I needed gas,” she offered, “Turns out I had a full tank. It’s pretty bad.” She told him, catching his gaze. “You okay?” She asked quietly searching his face.

He pulled his hand from his pocket, linking his fingers through hers when she reached out for him. “I’m all right. I felt...something. Earlier, at home. Like something was wrong.” Sometimes he hated being right. He shifted closer to her, pressing a kiss against her forehead. “I should go check it out.” 

Lydia sighed and leaned into him, her hand squeezing his gently. “I’ll come with you.” She had already seen it and Stiles wasn’t wrong. She’d been feeling like something wasn't quite right ever since her nightmare the other night. But that didn’t have anything to do with this...at least she hoped it didn’t. She shifted back, keeping her hand in his. “I’m pretty sure it’s the person who works here.” She said quietly.

He grimaced at that but nodded, squeezing her hand in return. He wasn’t sure this was the cause of his bad feeling earlier, but he wasn’t willing to rule it out yet either. “All right, let’s go see the scene.

Lydia nodded keeping hold of Stiles’ hand as they moved toward the bathroom. The closer they got to the room though, the tighter Lydia’s chest got. Her heart picked up speed as a chill ran down her spine. She opened her mouth but before she could say anything both Scott and Derek emerged from the small bathroom spotting them.

Derek angled his head to the side and glanced from Stiles to Lydia, frown marring his face when he spotted how pale Lydia was again. “What’s wrong?” He asked drawing the other’s attention to the redhead.

“Lyds?” Stiles’ voice was soft, concerned as he turned his head to look at her. “What is it?” 

Lydia glanced at Stiles and shook her head. “I’m not sure. I think...I’m just not feeling great.” She replied pressing her lips together and ignoring the look Derek was giving her. She wasn’t about to bring everything up in the middle of all of this. “Maybe I should let you guys handle things here. There isn’t really much I can do right now.” Which wasn’t a lie.

He frowned at the blatant way she wasn’t looking at Derek, and then looked over at the look the beta was giving her. A hint of knowing. Of disapproval. But about _what_? He turned his gaze back to her, reaching up and tucking some hair behind her ear. “All right. Maybe Derek should take you home.” 

Lydia leaned into the touch and nodded, “Yeah, I think that’s probably a good idea.” She agreed softly glad that he hadn’t pushed. She didn’t want to outright lie to him, it was the last thing she wanted to do. But now wasn’t the place for what she knew she was going to have to tell him. “Be careful out here okay?” She asked softly as she caught Derek and Scott moving in their direction out of the corner of her eye.

“Always,” he told her with the tiniest of smiles, a little inside joke considering she knew him so well. “Don’t worry. Scott’s here to keep me from doing anything too stupid.” He wanted to kiss her, but considering the ripped apart body in the bathroom only feet away and two of their friends so close, it seemed like a bad time. Instead he pressed another kiss to her forehead, reluctantly letting go of her hand and turning to glance at Derek, giving him a slight nod. 

Derek returned the nod his gaze shifting to Lydia and arching a brow in her direction.

She held his gaze for a minute before digging around in her pocket and holding out her keys to Derek. He took them from her and started making his way towards her car. Lydia signed inwardly knowing he was annoyed, but she’d table that for later. Her gaze found Stiles’ again and she reached out squeezing his arm gently. “I love you.” She said softly before glancing at Scott.

The alpha gave her half a smile as he watched her starting to shift away from Stiles.

Stiles nodded slightly at her words. “Love you too,” he said just as softly, watching as she headed toward Derek who was getting into her car and letting his shoulders drop for the briefest moment, closing his eyes. He really wanted a damn cigarette. Instead, he rolled his neck until it cracked just slightly and turned to head to check out the crime scene. 

Scott followed Stiles, resting a hand on his shoulder as they moved, a frown tugging at his lips. “Hey, you okay?” He asked even though he could feel that he wasn’t, not really. Something was wrong clearly, but Scott wasn’t entirely sure what it was. He knew their focus should be on the body and trying to figure out what was going on and it was. But Stiles was his best friend and the last thing he needed was him holding back what was on his mind.

Holding back the things on his mind had become his routine for such a long time  after he’d been separated from the nogitsune that even now it was a struggle for him sometimes. If there was one thing Morrell had drilled into his head, it was that he shouldn’t be leaning. That he should be operating alone, an observer, a subjective third party. It was one of the most important things to helping maintain the balance, she’d said. 

He glanced at Scott over his shoulder, struggling now, even though it only lasted for a moment before he relented. “She’s hiding something,” he admits quietly, shrugging a shoulder. It was her right -- especially from _him_ after all the things he’d put her through. Put all of them through. It didn’t mean he liked it. 

Scott’s frown deepened. “Something bad?” He asked as he slipped through the bathroom door carefully, the stench of blood permeating the air. He supposed no one every really hid something good, but he did wonder why Lydia would be keeping something from Stiles of all people. He figured after everything that happened that his best friend and Lydia were finally on the same page.

“I assume so.” Stiles let Scott take the lead, but followed behind him closely, pausing just inside the doorway and grimacing at all the blood splattered on the walls, the floor, the ceiling. Ripped apart was almost an understatement. Whatever had done this had been either completely out of control or severely pissed off. Maybe both. He made his way past Scott and over toward what was left of the body, studying the marks on the gas station employee’s torso. Then he glanced back at his best friend. “I’m not sure this was a wolf.” 

Scott made a face as he shifted over to where Stiles stood, closed his eyes and reopened them a minute later, glowing red. His gaze traveled over the room looking for anything he might have missed earlier. “You could be right,” he offered, Stiles often was. “Derek said he felt a lot of lingering rage earlier and I think...I sense confusion?” He said uncertainty coloring his voice. “ Have you ever seen anything like this before?” 

Stiles had seen things similar before. Things he’d stopped one way or another in most cases. But not exactly this. He sighed softly, glancing around the room and knowing their time investigating before the department showed up was limited, even with his dad leading it. “Not exactly. But that does sort of confirm my preliminary theory.” 

“Not a werewolf.” Scott stated as he straightened up. He tilted his head slightly to the side and sighed. “I hear sirens,” he commented before pausing as he glanced at his best friend. “Do you think this is related to the nemeton?” he asked quietly. “Do you think that it growing back is bringing things here?” Scott didn’t want to hear the answer. They’d been trying to figure out for the past couple of months what was going on with the nemeton regrowing and so far they had nothing.

“I think everything in this town revolves around that tree, Scott. I think it has for a very long time.” Even when it had been dormant. Places of power are never really dormant. Stiles exhaled and rakes a hand through his hair, whipping out his phone and snapping a few pictures of the scene, of what was left of the body. He knew he’d have access to all the official stuff too, but it would take longer. It was always best for him to try and work independently of the department when it was possible. Plus he didn’t like putting his dad in difficult positions anymore. He didn’t want to be the same kid that cost his dad the job he loved. 

Scott nodded he couldn’t really disagreed after everything that had happened over the past couple of years. “Why don’t I call Kira, take her with me to check out the nemeton tonight?” He suggested, “just to make sure everything is still the same. And maybe you can stop by and see Deaton. He’s seen a lot of this stuff, maybe he’s got some ideas about what it could be.” Scott shrugged. He wasn’t sure really, but one thing he was sure of was that this time around he wasn’t letting anyone get hurt or worse. Not after everything. This time they were going to figure things out before everything came tumbling down around them.

______

 

It was several hours later when Stiles finally made it back to Argent’s apartment building. Derek and Lydia had been living there for months now, but he still couldn't not think of it as belonging to Chris’s family. Momentarily a thought of Allison flickered through Stiles’ mind and he shuts his eyes as he took the elevator up to the floor his girlfriend lived on. He drew in a slow, deep breath and exhaled, calming his nerves and his mind the way Morrell had taught him so long ago. 

He stepped off the elevator, heading toward the apartment and knocking softly. He had a key of his own but he never used it. It never felt right. 

Lydia glanced up from her spot on the couch, brows furrowing slightly as she glanced in the direction of the hallway that led to the apartment door. She pushed herself up and stood slowly, the flannel shirt she wore dropping slightly with the movement. It had been a few hours since she got home and almost the minute they got there she’d started to feel a bit better.

She wasn’t sure what the issue was, or maybe she did and didn’t want to admit it to herself. The closer she got to the door the stronger she felt Stiles. The strawberry blonde’s lips pursed together and when she heard one of the bedroom doors opening she called out. “It’s Stiles, I’ve got it.”

Derek grunted at her words and went back into his room, not fully closing the door in case she needed something.

The floor was cold beneath Lydia’s bare feet and when she made it to the door it took her a minute to unlock it and pull it open. She sent Stiles a tired half-smile. “How did it go? Any luck figuring out what happened or who did this?”

“Not so much. Not yet anyway.” He would figure it out, he just needed time. And maybe a couple pots of caffeine. “I’m pretty sure whatever killed him wasn’t a werewolf, though.” He stepped into the apartment when she moved to let him in, but his gaze darted to Derek’s room, taking note that that door was partially cracked. Not that it really mattered -- the guy had super hearing. It wasn’t like this was meant to be a private conversation anyway, though, so he made the conscious decision not to be upset about it. Besides, he lived there, too. Stiles was just a guest. 

“How are you feeling? Any better?” He searched her eyes, watching her intently. 

Lydia held his gaze for a long minute, swallowing heavily as she glanced away briefly to shut and lock the door. “Yeah, a bit better than I was feeling before.” Which wasn’t a lie. She knew she needed to say something though. Derek had told Mr. Argent and it wouldn’t be long before the two of them said something. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to tell Stiles what was going on, but Lydia knew he had a lot to deal with and she didn’t want to add on to the guilt she already knew he carried.

She pushed her thoughts aside and caught his gaze again as she reached out and took his hand. “So not a werewolf,” she repeated cautiously, “then what?” It was more of a rhetorical question since she knew Stiles wasn’t sure either. “You’re stopping by late.” She said while tugging him further into the apartment, “Not that you’re not welcome to stop by whenever you’d like.” She added.

He can feel the flare of emotion that he can’t quite identify -- again -- and he hates it. She was definitely hiding something from him and he hated that too. “Good,” he said quietly, watching as she locked up the apartment even if right now it wasn’t really necessary. Not with the combination of people inside the apartment who were all pretty capable of defending themselves when it came down to it. 

Stiles paused at that but only for a second, deciding to brush off the implications. “I wanted to check on you and make sure you were all right.” Which was completely true, even if it wasn’t the only reason he’d come by. “I went to see Deaton after Scott and I split up.” After he’d left Scott in Kira’s perfectly capable care -- even if letting his best friend out of his sight right now wasn’t something he enjoyed at all considering his nightmares. 

Lydia paused chancing a glance over at Stiles when he said he went to see Deaton. “Oh, was he able to give you any insight into who might have attacked the gas attendant?” She asked even as a flutter of nerves filled her stomach. She needed to tell him now. Lydia didn’t have an excuse not to. It was just them and she wasn’t stupid, she could tell he knew something was going on with her even though he wasn’t sure what. She made her way to the couch and lifted one leg, sitting down and tucking it beneath her body as she watched him, waiting for his answer.

“No.” He exhaled, raking a hand through his hair and moving to sit down beside her, a few inches of space between them. He rested his arm on the back of the sofa, head propped up on his fist. “But...he did find something in an ancient text about Nemetons.” 

Lydia noticed the space between them, but said nothing. Her fingers absentmindedly played with the hem of the shirt she wore as she nodded. “Something that can help us figure out how to get rid of that damn tree hopefully,” she joked trying to lighten the mood even though she didn’t think that would quite work.

His Lips curved upwards at the corners but didn't make it past that for a full smile. “He’s still working on that part.” And so was Stiles when he had time that wasn’t already consumed with pack-related stuff, or murders, or working on school stuff that he still felt like was a waste of time most of the time. He had his GED already. High school was just a formality. “Apparently when balance is severely disrupted somehow...places of power can regenerate entirely. In the Nemeton’s case, it regrew.” He pressed his lips together. 

Lydia winced at his words even though a part of her had known they were coming. She sighed. “The balance needs to be restored?” She asked, though it was more of a statement as she glanced up at him. Lydia wasn’t surprised, how could she be? Her nightmare had only been telling her the same thing for the past three months. “Stiles,” she pursed her lips, “There’s something I need to tell you.” Her voice was quiet when she spoke, hand clutching around the edge of the shirt.

“It’s trying to restore itself apparently.” He already knew what she was thinking about. That once again, they’d been the ones to disrupt it. Because she’d died and he’d brought her back. His gaze dropped to where her hand was curled around the hem of her shirt and he tried to mentally prepare himself for whatever it was she was about to tell him. “I’m listening.” 

The strawberry blonde opened her mouth, paused and then tried again. “I’ve been having dreams... _ nightmares _ . They’re always the same,” she told him trying to push down the anxiety building in her knowing that she needed to keep a lid on her emotions. She was getting a lot better at controlling them. “I’m running in the preserve and there are all these voices all around me, screaming, yelling. They’re all talking at the same time and no matter what there’s only ever one thing I can make out.” She blew out a short breath her eyes finding his.

“I’m in the same spot I was in that night and the word that they’re repeating over and over is balance.” She explained, her tone soft.

He wasn’t surprised by her words even if they do unsettle him. He rubs a hand over his forehead, nodding. Of course she’d be having nightmares after all of it. He certainly had his fair share of them even if they were a lot different from hers. “It fits with what Deaton found,” he murmured, expression troubled. He was quiet for a long moment. “You’ve been having them for awhile, haven’t you?” It wasn’t an accusation, simply a question that he already knew the answer to. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” It was an admission, “About three months.” She added debating her next words closely. “And that isn’t all.” She added figuring she might as well tell him everything now that he was sitting there. “I can feel it, somethings off. When I wake up from the nightmares there’s this,” she paused trying to find the right words, “ache. I didn’t want to say anything because with everything that happened with Peter,” her body tensed slightly at the name, “Nightmares are normal. I didn’t want to worry you needlessly.” She offered, which was the truth.

Unconsciously, his gaze flickered toward Derek’s room before he glanced back at her. “Nightmares are normal after trauma,” he agreed softly, not quite meeting her eyes. He believed her -- that she didn’t want to worry him. But that wasn’t really the point. Three months of nightmares was a long time. 

_Not as long as a year_ , he thought almost instantly after his initial thought. Right. Reality check. 

“What kind of ache?” he asked, meeting her gaze again. 

Lydia saw his gaze shift towards Derek’s room, but she didn’t say anything, the hint of guilt creeping in was there though. She glanced down and shrugged. “I don’t know, an unpleasant one.” She replied not entirely sure what he was feeling at the moment, which was off considering their connection.  Lydia looked up, “Are you angry?” She inquired attempting to feel him out.

He felt the flash of guilt and knew exactly what it meant. She’d seen him glance toward Derek’s door and the guilt confirmed what he’d already known. She’d confided in Derek long ago. He wasn’t angry. He wasn’t anything except numb and kind of tired. “No.” He offered her a faint smile. “We should talk to Deaton about it. It’s another piece to the puzzle.” One that isn’t good. Not that any of them have been. When are they? He leaned over and kissed her temple before rising to his feet, exhaling. “I should get going.” He suddenly wanted to go for a run before heading home for the night. 

Lydia frowned and stood up seconds after he did. “Do you want to stay?” She asked, “I mean you’re here and you know...I know we talked about you staying before.” It was something they talked about earlier at the pack meeting, something she’d been waiting on because of the nightmares mostly. She shook the thoughts aside and took a step towards him. “You can if you want.” The words leaving her mouth as she brushed her hand against his trying to push the guilt aside.

His gaze dropped  momentarily. There wasn’t much he wanted more than to spend the night there with Lydia, to hold her and kiss her and talk to her. He looked down at their hands when she reached out for him and held his breath for a moment before letting his fingers curl around hers gently. “Raincheck?” His voice was quiet. “I need to go to the station and see if they found anything we all missed.” Which he doubted, considering two werewolves had checked out the crime scene. But sometimes the supernatural can overlook things too.

Lydia nodded, her lips curving up in half a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Sure.” She replied lightly. “We’ll figure out whatever is going on and if I get any more feelings or end up in any odd places, I’ll make sure you’re my first call.” She told him lightly trying not to be hurt that he didn’t want to stay. She’d spent the last three months lying to him, well not telling him something that was clearly important. She probably wouldn’t want to hang out with him if he did that to her.

“Good,” he said softly, even though he knew that was a lie, too, even if it wasn’t a conscious one. Because her first call would be to Derek, like it had been for months now. He can’t really fault her for it when he’d abandoned them, even if it stung. He gave her hand a squeeze. “I’ll call if I find anything new.” He lifted her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. “Otherwise I’ll see you at school tomorrow.” In about seven hours. 

Lydia watched him bring her hand to his lips and her chest tightened. “Okay,” she said quietly. “Stiles,” she paused to swallow heavily, “You know I love you...don’t you?” She asked her voice nearly a whisper, as she did her best to hide the slight waver in it not sure why she was suddenly feeling like they were on shaky ground. 

  
His own chest felt too tight, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of her or him, or both. He let his lips linger against the back of her hand for a moment, nodding at her question. “I know. I love you, too.” He just wasn’t entirely sure that was going to be enough.


	5. Chapter 5

Stiles doesn’t sleep well. He hadn’t in a long time. Even after returning home to Beacon Hills months ago, his dreams were almost constantly terrifying. More than that, he was constantly in a state of hypervigilance when it came to danger, and the people around him being in it. His time away taught him to be ready to attack and defend at the slightest noise so when there was a faint creaking sound nearby, it pulled him out of his light slumber and he sat up abruptly, grasping onto a knife that was under his pillow. 

He relaxed at the sight -- familiar even though unexpected -- of Braeden sitting in a chair beside his bed. “Jesus,” he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face and lowering the knife. “You know, one day that’s going to turn out really badly.”

Braeden smirked as she peeled a piece of the apple she was eating with her knife and lifted it up to her mouth, a light crunch sounding as she chewed. “I’ll take my chances,” she replied as she leaned forward and kicked the side of his bed gently with her boot. “I’ve been sitting here for a while you know, I think you’re losing your touch,” She joked. 

He grunted , heaving a sigh and sliding his knife back into its place beneath his pillow. He stifled a yawn and reached out to flip on the lamp. “How long is awhile, exactly?”

Braeden shrugged and shifted leaning back in the chair. “Twenty minutes.” She replied as she peeled off another piece of apple. Her gaze drifted over him and she cocked her head to the side. “You don’t call, you don’t write. So I thought I’d drop by and make sure you were still alive.” Okay, so that wasn’t exactly why she was back in town. But checking on Stiles is always on her agenda. 

Stiles made a face. Twenty minutes. She was right. He was losing his touch. He watched her peel the apple and pop a bite of it into her mouth, then offered her a smirk. “Hey I texted. You knew I was alive,” he pointed out. “Where’ve you been lately anyway?” 

Braeden snorted, “A text could have been anyone and you know it.” She stated pointing at him with her knife. “I was in Peru for a bit, then I was with Morell for a few weeks,” she replied glancing over and catching his gaze. “Didn’t stay there long though.” She shrugged. “What’s been new here? Any carnage I need to be made aware of?” She asked studying his expression as she spoke. 

He fell silent for a moment at that information. “Morell, huh? She still pissed at me for vanishing on her?” He was already pretty sure he knew the answer to that question. He’d tried numerous times to contact Morell months ago and she never responded. She was definitely pissed. He wondered if she found a new emissary to start training. He decided not to ask. 

“Well there was a body that was torn to shreds earlier today in the bathroom of one of our local gas stations. And we’re still trying to figure out a way to neutralize the nemeton.” He shrugged.

Braeden arched a brow at him, “What do you think?” She asked as she shifted and tossed the half eaten apple into the small garbage near the desk. She wiped her knife on her pants and slid it back in her boot. “I think it’s safe to say she isn’t your biggest fan.” She offered before frowning at his words.

She pressed her lips together and sighed. “Yeah, about that...that’s why I’m here.” 

He was pretty sure that had always been true. Sure, she’d shown up to find him and had been the one to start his training, but he’d always suspected that had more to do with his natural spark than any personal affinity she had for him. He doesn’t let the news bother him. Much. 

“Which part, exactly? The body in the gas station or the nemeton?” Either way, he was suddenly a lot more awake than he had been moments ago. 

“The body.” She said while shifting again and pulling something out of her bag. “I’ve been tracking something and about a week ago it became pretty clear where it was heading.” She told him as she tossed the map in his direction. “I was hoping I’d get here before  _ it _ did...guess I didn’t book it fast enough.” Braeden frowned as she nodded towards the map that had landed on his bed. 

Stiles shifted on the bed and reached out, picking up the map, following the trail she’d made that led from Mexico to Beacon Hills. “Any idea what you’re tracking?”

Braeden shook her head, “No and it’s pissing me off.” She admitted as she shifted forward and motioned to the path that she marked. “It didn’t even try to hide that it was coming here and it ripped through so many damn towns on the way.” She shook her head, “If we’re being honest at first thought it was the dessert wolf, but it’s not the right MO.” Braeden glanced up. “Any thoughts on your end?” 

“So far all I’ve ruled out is werewolf.” He exhaled, a hint of frustration obvious in his expression. He reached out and grabbed his phone off the nightstand, flipping through his pictures until he located the ones from earlier today. He handed it over to her so she could look. “Carnage like this?”

Braeden didn’t even wince at the picture of the bloody torn apart corpse. She nodded and leaned back in her seat. “Yeah, just like. Any chance you reached out to Morell’s friendlier half and asked him about this? I’ve tried tracking it to find where it’s staying but no such luck yet.” 

“All over that one. Talked to him earlier today. He doesn’t know right now, but he’s looking into it, too.” He shifted in the bed, stretching a little and cracking his neck. “The whole pack is researching.” And here he was sleeping. Granted, he’d only been in bed a couple hours, and he had school in a couple more, but still. 

Braeden watched Stiles for a minute and nodded. She pushed herself up and shoved him gently as she sat on the bed next to him. “You don’t have to get up. It’s been a hell of a long ride here I could use a few hours before we do the whole find and kill this creature thing. Oh by the way I parked my bike in the driveway.” She told him with a grin. 

He yawned, nodding a little at her words and watching as she moved to lie down beside him. “Yeah but now I’m wide awake and thinking about the case,” he responded. Which wasn’t a lie. And she knew how he was. He definitely wasn’t going to be going back to sleep tonight. “You get some rest, though.” He scooted off the bed and tugged the covers up and over her instinctively. “I’ll make sure and put your bike back in the driveway after I take it out for a ride.” He smirked. 

Braeden narrowed her eyes. “You touch my bike and that knife I was just holding is going to end up somewhere incredibly fleshy.” She griped as she shifted and kicked off her boots before pushing down the covers he’d just used to cover her, though not all the way. “You’re seriously getting up? It’s late...early.” She told him while making herself comfortable. “Is this a girlfriend thing? Am I breaking the rules or something?” She asked with a smirk, eyes closed as she dropped her head against the pillow a couple of times. 

He chuckled at the threat, watching as she kicked off the boots. “You like me way too much and have saved my ass too many times to follow through on that threat,” he informed her confidently. He narrowed his eyes at the girlfriend question. She knew him way too well, even if that was only partially why he was getting up. Sleeping in the same bed with a woman who wasn’t Lydia just felt too strange to think about these days. “She probably wouldn’t be thrilled about it, no. But I regularly function on a couple hours of sleep. I’d rather get a jump on this thing before it gets a jump on someone I care about.” 

Braeden lifted a hand haphazardly and waved him off. “Yeah, yeah. Tell her I say hi, will you?” She replied with a chuckle knowing the other girl wasn’t her biggest fan, “And come back for me after twiddling your thumbs in school so we can do some real work.” She yawned, “And no bike.” She mumbled. 

Stiles rolled his eyes at that. Yeah, he’d be sure and deliver _ that _ message as soon as possible.  _ Not _ . “Yeah yeah. You just get some sleep and be ready to go when I get done twiddling my thumbs.” He shook his head and moved toward the door, grabbing his sweatshirt on the way out. Maybe he’d get in an early morning run before sunrise and just skip school today. Priorities. 

______

Lydia stood in the kitchen staring at the coffee maker. It was just after seven and she wasn’t even dressed yet. She shifted the floor cold beneath her feet as she reached up and ran a hand through her hair. Nightmares. She was sick of them. It had taken her forever to fall asleep after Stiles left last night mostly because she could feel something wasn’t quite right between them and she hated that. And then she woke up not two hours later barely holding in a scream. She blew out a breath and tapped her fingers against the counter. “Could you brew slower?” She grumbled at the coffee maker while attempting to keep herself upright.

Cora made her way into the kitchen around the same time Lydia started grumbling at the coffee pot. She arched an eyebrow but remained silent about it. For now. She hadn’t slept that well the previous night either, even if she wasn’t about to admit it was because she was worried about the latest evil rolling through the town. “Long night?”

Lydia startled at the sound of Cora’s voice and she glanced over at the other girl and nodded. “Yeah something like that,” she hesitated. “I didn’t keep you up did I?” She asked brows furrowing. She was getting better at living with wolves. It didn’t usually take much to wake Derek, but Cora seemed to be more of a sound sleeper. And when she’d woken Derek last night she made sure they were quiet when they talked. 

She shrugged. “No. I was already awake. Big bio exam today. I’m not sure when or why I started caring about passing.” She frowned. 

Lydia smiled at that, “Seems like school’s not so dumb after all,” she replied as the coffee brewer beeped. She reached into the cabinet for her favorite mug and glanced over her shoulder, “How’s Isaac?” She asked while pulling out another cup and holding it out to Cora. She and the youngest Hale had been getting along a lot better these past few months which she was sure everyone around them appreciated. 

“I don’t know about that. The likelihood of me ever actually using biology in the future is slim to none.” But maybe it was kind of nice pretending she was halfway normal sometimes. “He’s fine. Dreading the test.” She shrugged. 

Lydia nodded, “Seems like everyone is. At least this is the last week before spring break?” She offered while turning back to the coffee pot and pouring some for herself. She was so distracted she’d almost forgotten about midterms, not that she was overly worried about them anyway. She already had her pick of colleges, which was just another thing she was going to have to make a decision about soon. She stepped back from the coffee maker. “Your brother still asleep?” She inquired as she tugged open the refrigerator to grab some milk. 

“He’s up. Showering.” She rolled her eyes. “So he’ll be primping for a couple hours unless he runs out of hair gel.” 

Lydia smirked, “You’ve noticed that too have you?” She asked amused taking a sip of her coffee. “I think he’s been stealing my hair gel.” She added as she walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. She was silent for a minute before clearing her throat. “How was the video game playing the other day?” She asked, tone light.

“Who hasn’t?” Cora responded with a smirk. “And yes, he is. I can smell it. It’s definitely the same stuff you use.” She grabbed a cup of coffee and sat down at the table across from her. “And I kicked ass, as expected. Stiles pouted...also as expected.” She rolled her eyes.

Lydia sent her half a smile. “That’s good I’m glad you guys had fun,” because it looked like once again the fun wouldn’t be sticking around. “And I’ll have to make him buy more,” she added though her heart wasn’t really in the words. She was worried and she wanted to ask Cora if things with Stiles had been okay lately, but at the same time she didn’t want to ask. Her nail tapped gently against the mug before she took another sip and then put the cup down. “I guess the whole spring break plan thing isn’t going to work out now, huh?”

“We should’ve figured it wouldn’t. This is Beacon Hills.” Cora pursed her lips and then took a long drink of her coffee. She looked over at Lydia, studying her for a moment and watching her as she tapped on her mug with her nail. “Are you all right?” 

Lydia opened her mouth to say she was fine, because that’s what she always said, but she paused and then shrugged. “Tired,” she offered hesitating before continuing. “The nightmares are getting worse and I think I might have upset Stiles by not telling him about them. It seems I do that a lot.” She explained trying to keep the words light, but it was difficult especially when she could feel things from him that she didn’t always understand when it came to her. 

Cora looked down, then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Why did you wait so long to tell him?” It wasn’t like she wanted to eavesdrop last night, but with werewolf hearing it was kind of hard not to. Especially when one of your closest friends smelled upset. 

Lydia sighed. “Because Stiles feels guilty about  _ everything _ . Constantly. Even things that aren’t really his fault. And the dreams...at this point I’m pretty sure they’re some kind of stupid mystal warning or whatever and they’re tied to that  _ damn _ tree.” She huffed, “He’s got a lot on his plate, plus his nightmares and thinking someone is after Scott which very well may be the case now...I didn’t want to add more onto his plate. You know him...you know he’d feel guilty about this too and I thought,” she pressed her lips together and shrugged, “I thought I could figure out a way to fix this on my own, see if it was really something to worry about before getting him involved.” It was probably the most honest she’d ever been with Cora, they didn’t often talk about anything important, not really. But this was different.

Well, she wasn’t wrong there. Stiles was an idiot that way. He felt responsible for everything and everyone, particularly when it came to the pack, and even more so when it came to Lydia and Scott. She huffed out a sigh, leaning back in her chair. “Boys are so dumb sometimes.” Including all the ones they knew. Especially the ones they knew. All of them. She took another drink of her coffee. “But he said Deaton said the balance thing was what the nemeton was trying to do, too, right? So your dream’s probably tied to that, like you said.” 

Lydia nodded, “And maybe the nemeton regrowing will solve the issue. I don’t know, but that seems awfully simple for something that’s given us so much trouble. And boys are definitely dumb.” She agreed, half a smile playing on her lips. “Especially the ones we seem to keep around. Maybe I’m just overthinking things.” Stiles had seemed upset last night, but today was a new day and now that he knew about the nightmares and she wasn’t keeping anything else from him, maybe they’d be fine.

“Maybe.” But Cora was as skeptical about that possibility as Lydia. She wasn’t holding her breath. She finished her coffee and shook her head a little. “Imagine that. The resident genius overthinking things.” Her voice was teasing, and not in a malicious way. It was still something she was trying to get used to -- teasing without being mean about it. Especially with Lydia. “We should get going.” 

Lydia smiled, this one genuine. She was glad she and Cora were getting along now, it turns out the other girl wasn’t nearly as bad as she thought. “Just give me a minute to toss on something less shirt like and then we can head out.” She told the other as she took a sip of her coffee and stood. The strawberry blonde left the cup on the table and started to walk out of the kitchen, but she paused and glanced back at the brunette. “Thanks for this.” She said softly, “I know the whole girl talk thing isn’t really your thing, but I think I needed it.” 

She cocked her head, dark hair tumbling back over her shoulders, ghost of a genuine smile touching her own lips. “Don’t mention it,” she responded. 

Lydia turned, smile still on her face as she moved to her bedroom to get dressed really quick, feeling mildly better than she had before. Maybe all she needed to do was get it off her chest and she was sure Stiles wouldn’t be mad anymore, after all he knew everything now. All they needed to do was figure out what was in town killing people and how to stop it and maybe things could finally go back to their version of normal.

______

A twig snapped beneath Isaac’s boot clad feet and he sent a sideways glanced in Stiles’ direction as they moved further into the preserve. He wasn’t entirely sure what they were looking for, but when he accidentally caught Stiles heading out that morning he decided to tag along and help since pretty much everyone was asleep. Plus who didn’t love the excuse to get a day free from classes?

Literally the only drawback was not seeing Cora, but that was something they could do later tonight after he helped Stiles. “So, remind me again what we’re looking for,” he said and he breathed in deeply attempting to catch a scent. “Oh and how long is Braeden staying in town?” He asked with smile. Isaac liked her, she did sort of pretty much save his life. Derek’s too.

Stiles definitely hadn’t anticipated company this morning. He’d been expecting to spend the day mostly alone -- at least until Braeden woke up or school let out -- researching, looking for clues, and checking on the Nemeton. Not necessarily in that order. 

“Well first we’re checking on the Nemeton to make sure nothing new and fun’s started with it.” He insisted on checking on the tree at least once a day, and most of the time it wasn’t because he  _ wanted _ to but because he felt himself drawn to it like it was a magnet and he was a piece of steel. “As for Braeden...probably not til we figure out who’s ripping people to shreds. She’s been tracking this thing all the way from Mexico for weeks now and she’s not really the type to let it go and let someone else deal with a problem.” He admired that about her, really, and after working with her for so long, felt a similar sort of call to duty. 

Isaac nodded he had noticed that about her. “Well, I for one am glad she’s sticking around a bit. She’ll be able to help us.” He added as he kicked a rock out of his way. “I still can’t believe this is starting all over again. I guess it’s not really the same thing though.” He offered with a shrug as he paused briefly a familiar smell filling his nose. He turned his head and shifted directions. “Something's wrong. I think I smell blood.”

“No, it’s not the same thing,” he responded quietly, thinking momentarily of Peter, of Malia. His expression darkened just a little at the memory of seeing Lydia hit the ground that night, of her dying. He felt himself tense even before Isaac announced he smelled blood. Instantly, Stiles’ hand moved to rest at his hip, where his glock was tucked away safely. “Lead the way,” he urged. 

Isaac hesitated, “I’m not sure,” he closed his eyes for a minute trying to focus on the smell. It wasn’t that he couldn’t catch the scent, it was more like it was coming from more than one direction and the curly haired male wasn’t sure which way to go. When he opened his eyes they were golden and he moved to the left following the path his nose was leading him on. 

Stiles watched the other boy as he closed his eyes, reaching out and laying a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to help him focus. And then Isaac opened his eyes again and they’re glowing gold and he starts moving. 

Isaac moved deeper into the preserve heading in an all too familiar direction not that he realized it at the moment. “It’s not far,” he called out as he sped up his movements slightly the smell getting stronger the closer they got to the open field.

Stiles followed instantly, also recognizing their surroundings. It was like a kick in the gut every time he passed this particular area -- the place where Lydia had died. The place where he’d killed Peter. It only took a few seconds to spot the body several yards away and he froze in place momentarily. “Shit,” he mumbled, moving toward it. 

But the figure -- a girl -- moved just a little, her fingers twitching as she reached out toward them. “Help,” she whispered, blood trickling from her mouth. 

Isaac’s eyes widened when he heard the call for help. “I’ll grab her,” he called to Stiles over his shoulder as he sped up in an attempt to run to her. He was halfway to reaching her when something solid smacked into him, making him stumble back and grunt. Confusion crossed his face until he glanced up. The beta’s eyes widened as he took in the creature in front of him. He made a move to step back, but the thing in front of him let out a loud growling sound, before a crushing grip took hold of him. 

Isaac felt his body being lifted, feet dangling off the ground as a bone covered hand wrapped around his neck and propelled his body into the air with such force that he flew back a good ten feet knocking right into Stiles and making them both hit the ground.

“Isaac!” Stiles’ voice was startled, filled with fear as he spotted the creature -- which he’d read stories about numerous times but hadn’t actually seen before up close and personal -- lifted the werewolf into the air. He didn’t even see it coming before Isaac was suddenly flying toward him, crashing into him and causing them both to hit the forest floor. He grunted, wincing a little as he rolled out from under the other boy in time to see the berserker moving toward them. “Shit. Get up!” He reached out and grabbed Isaac’s arm, tugging at him before reaching for his gun. 

It wouldn’t do any good, Stiles knows that much, but maybe he could cause a distraction that would last long enough to save their lives. He took aim at the creature’s head and fired several rounds in rapid succession. 

Isaac let Stiles tug him back, still not fully comprehending what he was seeing. He winced at the sound of the shots being fired, but the thing was still coming at them. “What the hell is that?” He yelled as he focused on shifting, claws elongating as fangs did the same in his mouth. He growled at the thing in front of them and stepped forward ready to attack.

“A berserker,” he answered, backing away and grabbing Isaac’s arm as he did so. “You can’t stop it.” Not by himself. And Stiles didn’t have the right tools to stop it right then, either. “Run!” He ordered, turning and taking off into the woods hoping like hell Isaac would follow him. 

Isaac wasn’t an idiot, if Stiles didn’t think they could handle it, then they couldn’t. He took off after Stiles, a hint of guilt filling his chest the further they got from the girl lying in the middle of the field. The same field Lydia had been lying in when she died. Isaac’s heart clenched and he pushed herself further knowing he and Stiles needed to get out of there and tell the other’s what was happening before anyone else got hurt. 

Stiles’ thoughts were already racing with ways to get back to the girl and make sure Isaac was safe at the same time. He stopped in his tracks, waiting for Isaac and when the other boy caught up, he reached out and grabbed his arm. “It’s still coming. Circle around to where the girl was. It can follow me,” he told him, heart beating fast in his chest. 

Isaac could hear the fast pace of Stiles’ heart and he nodded as he started to cut across the grass, but then hesitated and glanced over his shoulder. “What about you? I can’t leave you here alone to face that thing, what the hell are you gonna do? Should we call Scott?” He asked even as he slowly edged in the direction Stiles wanted him to go, the sound of the berserker getting closer. “What about Lydia? She’s got that stuff.” He shot his hands out in an odd fashion try to explain what he mean even as he still shifted back.

“I’ll be fine. I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.” He shook his head at the mention of Scott and Lydia. “No time. We’ll call them after we get out of here. Go, now, before it gets too close,” he said urgently, glancing behind them in the direction where the monster was coming from. 

  
Isaac stood there for another second before turning back around and taking off in the opposite direction. He ran fast, using his speed to circle back around to where they had come from, giving Stiles and the berserker enough birth not to run into it. He just hoped Stiles knew what he was doing or Scott and Lydia would kick his ass...Cora too. He shook the thought aside and pushed himself further the clearing finally coming into view. A hint of relief filled his expression when he spotted the girl still on the ground. He could do this, he could save her.


	6. Chapter 6

**** Lydia glanced over the textbook in front of her as she copied down some notes in her notebook. She paused to read over another passage, pen going straight to her mouth as she held the cap against her lip. Her brows drew together when she realized she was reading the same passage from ten minutes ago. She was distracted. Stiles hadn’t shown up at school that morning and it was already early afternoon and she was worried. The strawberry blonde sighed and glanced up at the alpha across from her. “How’s the review for the midterm in Bio going?” She asked needing to try and focus on something else because she was getting nowhere with her work.

Scott glanced up from where he was staring at his biology book and sighed, dropping his hand to the table and drumming his fingers quietly on its surface. He’d been concerned when Stiles had missed first period, and more concerned when he realized Isaac was also nowhere to be found in second. He’d texted both of them even after getting a short message from Stiles that read _Checking on some things, see you soon_. Something felt off, and considering they’d just found a dead body the day before, he wasn’t surprised.

“Not great,” he admitted. “I’m having a hard time concentrating.” And he was pretty sure she was, too. 

Lydia nodded as she rested her hand on her book. “Me too,” she admitted as she held in a heavy sigh. She didn’t like when Stiles went off on his own to do things. She understood the need of course because she liked to handle things on her own two which was evident from her lack of telling the pack about her nightmares. But this was different. What if whatever killed that gas attendant came after him? Her heart clenched and she pursed her lips while glancing up at Scott.

“Did he give you any more detail about what was going on? I just go a vague one earlier and I haven’t gotten another since.” She explained while leaning back against her chair trying to ease the tension in her body, not entirely sure why she felt so on edge.

He could practically feel her anxiety like it was his own...and maybe it was because it kind of was. But he shook his head. “Just that he was looking into some things. And Isaac may be with him even though neither of them’s confirmed it.” He scratched the back of his neck. 

Lydia frowned, “I don’t like this.” She said her voice low. “He shouldn’t be going off and doing this when someone is out there killing people. We need to stay together,” isn’t that what he’d said? They needed to work as a pack and now something new was in town and he was off doing his own thing again and she was worried. “Maybe you should try him again...or Isaac. I just, I feel like something is off.” She felt  _ unsettled _ . That was the only way to put it.

Scott grimaced at her words, trying not to go down that path of thought because doing so would be too easy. He knew Stiles was trying -- he’d been trying really hard not to do things the way he’d been doing them for the year he was away. Alone. Unless he counted Morell, and all things considered, he wasn’t sure he did. “Yeah, I’ll try them again,” he told her quietly, picking up his cell phone and unlocking the screen. 

Lydia nodded as she closed her book knowing the studying was useless at this point. She glanced around the library hoping Scott was right and that Stiles was with Isaac because then at least he wasn’t alone, which was something she guessed. She was about to open her mouth and ask Scott a question when her heart picked up speed. It felt like it was pounding in her chest, which was odd because she wasn’t doing anything. “Scott, anything?” She asked as even though she was sitting right there and hadn’t heard a beep from the phone.

“No, there’s nothing so far,” Scott answered, glancing from his phone to her face, a frown tugging his mouth downwards and sitting up a little. He forced himself to take a deep breath because he didn’t think he was imagining the bolt of fear he’d just felt from Isaac. The shock from Stiles. Something was wrong. “We need to find them.” 

Lydia was already pushing her chair back, not even bothering to worry about the books. She held Scott’s gaze, “Nemeton?” She asked because where else would Stiles be going if he was checking something out. It was always that damn tree. It kept pulling him back...it kept pulling  _ all _ of them back no matter how hard they tried to break free. She stood and her grip tightened on the chair as a rush of adrenaline surged through her, her body mimicking the symptoms all too well as her pulse quickened, a flush filled her face and the urge to run filled her. “Scott,” she whispered her eyes finding his once again. Her chest ached and she lifted a hand pressing it against her heart to try and control the rapid beating that she was convinced was because of Stiles. “We can take my car.” She offered the words rushed. 

“That’s my guess,” he agreed, rising to his feet and leaving the books right at the table. It wasn’t like anyone was going to mess with them. And even if they did, right now it didn’t matter. “Let’s go,” he told her with a quick nod. 

Lydia nodded and started rummaging through her purse for her keys as they moved towards the double door in the library. “I’m worried,” she said as her hands finally closed around the keys and she tugged them out of her purse. She could feel the stirrings of fear inside of her and she wasn’t sure if it was hers or Stiles’. She reached out hand pushing against the double doors when a familiar feeling built in the pit of her stomach making her pause. “We need to hurry,” she said a hint of alarm in her tone. 

“Lydia, how bad is it?” He asked nervously as he followed her down the hallway toward the exit. _Are you going to scream?_  he wanted to ask. 

She sent him a sideways glance, “It’s bad,” she whispered, “But I don’t think it’s Stiles...I’d feel it if he was hurt this bad.” She answered as she pushed open  the double doors, cool air hitting her face as she moved outside. “We’re not going to make it.” Her voice broke on the words as she closed her eyes briefly holding back the scream that was already building in her throat. 

Scott was relieved to hear that the bad feeling at least wasn’t about Stiles. “Isaac?” He asked anxiously, moving toward her car, heart beating quickly. He didn’t feel pain from Isaac, but there was definitely fear. 

“I don’t know Scott.” Her words were sharper than she intended and she turned her gaze in his direction, “Sorry,” she mumbled as they reached her car. She clicked the button unlocking the doors and pressed her lips together doing her best to not let it out. But she could feel it just beneath the surface...whoever it was they weren’t going to make it. 

 

______

 

Melissa stood behind the nurse’s station, a frown pulling at her lips as she placed the photocopied papers inside the manila folder. She closed it and rested her hand on top of it, eyes shutting briefly as she let out a short breath. It was starting again and she couldn’t help the way that worried her. When Stiles and Isaac had made their way into the hospital, the body of a young girl in Isaac’s arms, Melissa nearly panicked.

Michael had followed them into the hospital practically minutes later. She opened her eyes, her gaze focusing on the ring on her finger. She had been hoping that they’d have a few months to really settle into being a family before the next huge disaster hit, but apparently that wasn’t going to be the case. She needed to get these papers down to the morgue, she knew Michael needed them and she still wanted to check in on Isaac and Stiles, make sure they were all patched up.

She lifted the folder and started making her way around the nurses station turning to head back down to the morgue just in time to see the hospital doors burst open she paused and spotted a frantic looking Lydia and Scott move through the double doors and into the hospital. Her eyes widened, “What is it, what happened were you two hurt too?” 

“Too?” Scott echoed, stomach knotting as his eyes widened. “Are they okay? Stiles and Isaac? Where are they, Mom?” 

Melissa realized how her words sounded and she shook her head as she closed the distance between them and reached out resting a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “Minor injuries, they’re okay. Stiles and Isaac are okay.” She repeated her gaze shifting to Lydia. Her chest tightened when she saw how pale the young girl was. “I was just going back to them now, why don’t you two come with me?” She suggested wrapping an arm around Scott and she motioned for Lydia to follow them.

Lydia pressed her lips together, wrapping her arms around herself slightly as she moved with them, a deep ache throbbing in her chest. Someone was dead, whoever it was hadn’t made it, she’d screamed halfway to the preserve nearly killing her and Scott in an accident of all things and after that they’d changed course to the hospital knowing that’s most likely where Stiles and Isaac would go and apparently they’d been right. 

Scott moved and draped his arm around Lydia’s shoulder wordlessly as they followed his mom down the hall and toward the elevator. He didn’t ask where they were going because he already knew: the morgue. He could hear his friends’ voices in the distance, and he could already hear that they’re both upset. More than that, he could _feel_  it from Isaac. From Lydia, too.

Lydia leaned into him, her hand sliding down and gripping his arm gently as the elevator doors slid open, anxiety whirling around in her stomach. 

Melissa glance between her son and Lydia and she motioned them into the elevator before stepping in herself. “Stiles and Isaac are going to be just fine,” she repeated wanting to make sure they were hearing her. “I just needed to grab some things to give Michael, but after that we can all go home.” 

Scott gave her a slight nod of acknowledgment, glancing sideways at Lydia. “You’ll come with us, right?” He asked quietly.

Lydia opened her mouth and then hesitated, “Probably.” She replied quietly rubbing his arm. If Scott wanted her to come with them she would. She  _ should _ even if her first instinct when she was this upset was to go home. The sound of the elevator coming to a stop pulled her from her thoughts and she let out a heavy breath. 

He watched her for a moment, expression troubled because he knew her favorite coping mechanism. It was Stiles’ favorite, too. He drew in a breath and let it out slowly as the elevator descended to the basement of the hospital, and he followed his mom off of it, leading Lydia toward the morgue where Stiles, Isaac and Michael were. He tried to brace himself for who it was that might have died.

Michael heard footsteps and he glanced over to the door, one hand on Stiles’ shoulder, the other on Isaac’s, a gently pressure resting on each as he did what he could to offer some comfort. There wasn’t anything he could say to make this better, but what he could do is attempt to help them find whoever or whatever the hell was doing this. He spotted Melissa making her way into the room followed closely by Lydia and Scott. He should have known they’d realize what had happened.

Stiles pressed his lips together as he spotted the trio making their way inside and he held his breath as he moved to block Scott and Lydia from getting any closer to the slab with the body on it. They didn’t need to see it in his opinion and if he could shield them from it, he was going to do it. “You don’t want to see it,” he told them quietly. 

Scott frowned as his mom walked over to Michael. “Who is it?” He asked taking a step towards Stiles and giving Lydia’s arm a gentle squeeze before shifting away from her. His gaze shifted over to Isaac, “You two okay?” The worry in his voice clear.

“Yeah.” Isaac tried to smile but didn’t quite manage it. He didn’t look up at Scott either, guilt clear on his face. “I’m not the one laying on a morgue table so I’m good.” 

Stiles winced at that, closed his eyes for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Tracy, from our AP Bio class,” he told them, voice hushed. 

Scott took a deep breath, jaw clenching. Someone they knew, not that it would have been better if they hadn’t known the person. He chanced a glance at Lydia and the look on her face made his chest tighten. He turned back to Stiles and studied his best friend. “What happened? Did you see what did it?” He asked.

Melissa looked between the kids and then at Michael. “We should talk about this at home.” She suggested to them.

“Probably for the best,” Stiles agreed with a slight nod, glancing back at his dad and then at Scott, and then letting his gaze rest on Lydia. “Come on,” he murmured, reaching out and taking her hand in his own, linking their fingers together. 

Isaac rubbed a hand over his face wearily and nodded, too, eyes downcast as he made his way out of the room, stuffing his hands into his pockets. 

Lydia was silent for a minute as she walked with Stiles, her brows drawing together slightly as she squeezed his hand. “Are you alright?” Something felt a bit off, though after the night he had she wasn’t surprised. 

“Yeah.” He managed a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes, but squeezed her hand in return. “Are _you?_ ” 

“I’m...processing.” She stated as she watched Melissa and Michael step into the elevator as Scott spoke to Isaac a few feet in front of them. “Maybe we should call Cora,” she suggested, “For Isaac. She could probably help, he seems upset. Not that he shouldn’t be.” She added quickly before letting out a sigh. “Did you...did you see what did it?” She asked quietly even though she knew Scott had already asked. Stiles hadn’t answered.

“Yeah, I’ll send her a text, let her know to come to the house.” He paused, then shook his head. “We need to have a pack meeting. We should get a hold of everyone.” Because he knew how berserkers worked, knew that they didn’t operate on their own. They were puppets in a psycho marionette show. The question was, who was pulling the strings, and why? 

He glanced at her sideways even as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “Yeah. I saw it,” he admitted quietly. “We both did.” 

Lydia nodded not quite able to hide the tears in her eyes as she looked away from him. “Okay.” she asked already knowing the answer because where else were they going. “I’ll text Derek.” He’d tell everyone else.

His chest tightened at the look on her face, and he leaned over, pressing a kiss to her temple before reluctantly letting go of her hand so he could started texting the rest of the pack to let them know to come to the house. 

 

_____

 

Derek pulled the truck up to the curb in front of the McCall’s, parking and tugging the keys from the ignition as he glanced sideways at his sister. Lydia had texted him not too long ago and he knew Stiles had reached out to Cora. He grunted as he slipped his keys into his pocket, anxious to get inside and make sure everyone was okay. “You good?” He asked while pushing open his door. She’d been unusually quiet on the ride there, not that Cora was ever loud...without reason.

“Yeah, I’m good.” She was worried about Isaac, and Stiles, and whatever this new big bad was that was already killing people. And worrying about things wasn’t something she was good about admitting to because it seemed so...un-Cora-like. Or at least unlike the tough persona she’d adopted over the years for survival’s sake. 

Derek closed the door behind him and arched a brow at his sister before nodding. “Everything is going to be fine.” He responded automatically. But it was clear she was worried, just like he was. He moved up the path, his sister by his side and when they got to the door he lifted a hand and tapped gently on the door.

A moment later the door opened and Cora gave a faint, forced smile to Scott before stepping passed him and into the house. 

“Hey,” he greeted Derek with a grim expression. 

Derek nodded, “Hey,” he gave Scott a once over checking to make sure he was fine as he stepped into the house. “Is everyone okay?” He asked as his gaze darted around the room searching for the red head.

“Yeah.” He paused. “Everyone in the pack anyway.” His voice dropped and he sighed before closing the door behind Derek, motioning to the kitchen where Lydia was with his mom, who’d already put in a call for pizza since it was dinner time. 

He glanced at Scott when his voice dropped and he reached out and squeezed his shoulder gently. “You’re doing everything you can.” He stated knowing Scott was probably feeling a bit helpless at the moment pretty much because he was convinced they all were. “Everyone else here?” 

“Chris is on his way, and Danny’s wrapping up a study group. I know he doesn’t usually come to the pack stuff, but Stiles thinks it’s a good idea to have all hands on deck for whatever’s going on now,” he responded with a grimace. “Mom ordered pizza for us so it’s on the way. Want something to drink?” 

Derek shook his head as they moved towards the kitchen, “No I’m good.” Or he would be once they figured out what was going on and how it all fit together.  He stepped into the kitchen and glanced around spotting Lydia sitting at the table. He patted Scott’s shoulder again and shifted away from him.

Lydia looked away from Stiles who was talking to his father and over at Scott and Derek, brows drawing together. “Mr. Argent didn’t come with you guys?” She supposed she just assumed he would have, though she probably shouldn’t he did a bunch of things with his days.

“He was out,” Derek told her with a small smile, resting a hand on her shoulder. “But he’s on his way.”

Lydia nodded, “Good,” she responded lightly as she rested a hand on his briefly. “I’m glad you're here.” The words were quiet not that, that meant much with a room full of wolves. She could see Isaac out of the corner of her eyes sitting very still in one of the chairs. He was quiet, too quiet and on the way back to the house she had been trying to get Stiles to talk but he’d wanted to wait for everyone, which made sense. But she was having a little bit of trouble reading what he was feeling and that was weird.

He squeezed her shoulder gently, nodding as he met her eyes. “Wouldn’t be anywhere else,” he assured her quietly. “You okay?” His own voice was quiet as he studied her, searched her face for any sign of trauma or injury. 

Lydia tilted her head to the side and gave a one armed shrug. “Talk at home?” She asked softly as she leaned into the touch. She didn’t want to talk with everyone there. Plus Isaac was upset and she was sure Stiles was too and she didn’t want to add to it or make this about her after what happened.

Derek nodded once more. “Yeah.” He shifted beside her, keeping close to her side as he glanced around at the others, noting Stiles glancing in their direction though the other quickly looked away. 

The doorbell rang and Stiles raked a hand through his hair before heading toward the front room to answer it, nodding slightly at the twins who were sitting on the sofa, talking to one another.

Chris stood outside, one hand in his pocket, the other holding an old leather bound book. He’d been waiting for his contact to get it in and now that he finally had he was hoping it would help Lydia really learn how to control her powers and learn to focus it more so she can use them the way she had on him accidentally when they were training the other day. 

Stiles opened the door, stepping aside immediately to let Chris in and ignoring the nervous jitter in his stomach. “We’re just waiting on Danny now,” he told the older man as he closed the door again. 

Chris nodded, “Sounds good.” He said while stepping further into the house and glancing over at the twins who were on the couch. “Where is everyone?” He asked curiously before meeting Stiles’ gaze again. “And how are you?” 

“Mostly in the kitchen. I think Kira and Scott are out back,” he answered. He was silent for a moment at the rest of the question, and he pressed his lips together, meeting Chris’s eyes and shrugging. “It’s another day Beacon Hills.” AKA, people were dying and monsters were popping up and they had no idea who was behind said monsters and deaths. 

Chris reached out and rested a hand on Stiles’ shoulder. “It’ll get better eventually.” Though he knew that was a broad timeframe considering every time it got better things inevitably got worse afterwards. He opened his mouth about to say something when the sounds of someone making their way down the stairs caught his attention.

Braeden yawned as she stepped off the last stair in one of Stiles’ shirts pausing when she saw people. Her gaze shifted to Stiles and she frowned. “What happened?”  

He turned his attention to Braeden when she spoke and he gave her a knowing smirk. “Well you’d know if you hadn’t literally slept the entire day.” His voice was joking. 

“Some of us traveled straight through multiple days to get here,” she countered back easily, “Now give me some food and tell me what happened.” She repeated as she walked over to him and nodded at Chris Argent. 

He grinned for the briefest moment at her response, then reached out, resting a hand on her shoulder blade and guiding her toward the kitchen. “Food first. Waiting on one more person to get here before Isaac and I fill everyone in on what’s going on. Or what we know anyway.” Which, admittedly, wasn’t a lot. He led her to the kitchen table across from Lydia and then headed for the fridge, grabbing a soda out of it for her and setting it down. “Pizza’s on the way.” 

Braeden plopped down in the chair across from Lydia, missing the way the banshee narrowed her eyes in her direction as her gaze darted over to the wolf beside the redhead. She reached for the soda and nodded at Derek. “Looks like you’ve done a pretty good job keeping yourself in one piece.” She stated as she pulled open the can and took a sip of soda.

Derek arched his eyebrow at her, then nodded. “You too,” he responded. 

Stiles glanced between them, noting the way Braeden was eyeing Derek and paused  momentarily before heading toward the front door when the bell rang again. “I’ll get it.” 

Lydia watched Stiles go and then turned her gaze back to the girl across from her. “I didn’t realize you had decided to grace us with your presence yet again.” She commented forcing herself to shove down the annoyance at the fact that not only was the other girl here, but clearly she’d been here and Stiles hadn’t mentioned it. And she certainly seemed comfortable with the whole being practically naked thing. Lydia shoved the thought aside, the last thing she needed was for Stiles or Scott to sense her irritation when something much more important was going on. But she definitely wasn’t as relaxed as she’d been moments before. 

Braeden tilted her head a little, easily picking up on her annoyance but ignoring it for the time being. It was possible she enjoyed needling her just a bit. “I’ve been tracking a beast across the country. Guess where it decided to plan its vacation?” She leaned back in the chair, taking a drink of the soda. 

Lydia tilted her head in acknowledgement of the other girl’s words all the while thinking, and what they ran out of motels? “Where everything else beastlike takes its vacations.” She offered as she crossed her legs stiffly finally noticing Mr. Argent and nodding a hello in his direction while she worked on evening out what she was currently feeling.

Derek glanced down at her and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, a frown tugging at his lips. 

“Hey, Daddy-O,” Stiles called from the other room. “I need eighty bucks for the pizzas!” 

Scott made his way back into the house with Kira in time to hear Stiles calling out to his dad and he grinned, his girlfriend’s hand clasped tightly in his. He shook his head and glanced around, “We all here?” He asked before catching sight of Braeden and grinning slightly, “Hey, glad you're back.” He knew she and Stiles were close and with the way he wasn’t feeling much from his best friend he had a feeling he could use a visit from Braeden.

Michael rolled his eyes as he headed for the living room, reaching for his wallet. “How is it the parents always get stuck feeding the entire pack?” He grumbled good naturedly. 

“I think we’re still waiting on someone else,” Braeden informed Scott with a smile and a nod. “Good to see you again, too, Scott. How’ve you been?” 

Melissa smiled at her husband’s words as she went to the cabinet and grabbed plates and napkins. 

Scott shrugged, “I guess it could be worse, I’m okay though.” He offered before nudge Kira gently. “You remember Braeden right Kira?” He was pretty sure the last time she was in town they all went out together.

“Yeah. Hi,” Kira greeted her with a small smile, leaning against Scott. “I remember you kicking most of our butts at bowling.” 

Derek smirked. “ _Most_  being the keyword.” 

Kira glanced at Derek and smiled. “I don’t think anyone expected you to be good at bowling.” She paused, “That sounded mean I didn’t mean it mean.” She rambled with a frown.

Braeden chuckled at the fox before her gaze shifted back to Derek. “Well maybe I’ll need a rematch.” She stated smirking right back.

Cora arched her eyebrows and looked at her brother from where she was sitting beside Isaac, a knowing look on her face even though she remained silent for the time being. 

Isaac bit back the half a smile he could manage and gently brushed a hand against Cora’s arm as he nodded in Argent’s direction just now realizing the other man was there. He’d been lost in his own thoughts for a while.

Lydia fought not to roll her eyes before pushing herself up, “I’m going to grab something to eat.” She commented as she moved around the other girl and headed into the living room. 

Scott watched her go and glanced at Kira, “We should probably all head in,” he figured that would be more comfortable than sitting in the kitchen.

Braeden shrugged as she took another sip of soda, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Hope it wasn’t something I said.” 

Derek  met her eyes and shook his head a little before moving toward the living room, as well. “Better hurry up. You haven’t seen this pack devour pizza before,” he warned. 

Braeden watched him go and she shook her head. “That one's too loyal for his own damn good.” She mumbled before lifting up her can of soda and standing. She caught Isaac looking at her and she sent him a wink before heading into the other room behind Chris Argent.

______

 

Less than a half hour later, the pack had devoured all seven pizzas Melissa had ordered, and Stiles has risen to his feet, glancing around at the others and letting his gaze linger momentarily on Isaac. “When Isaac and I went out to check on the Nemeton earlier today, we had an encounter with something called a berserker.” His voice was quiet, but serious, troubled. He glances over at Chris momentarily. “Berserkers wear the skin and bones of animals -- mostly bears -- to channel their energy. But they don’t just channel it. They aren’t like werewolves where most of the time they’re human and then on the full moon they turn into animals. The moon has no impact on them at all.” 

Scott frowned as he leaned forward elbows resting on his knees. “So, what’s their purpose? We’ve never had anything like that before here,” he hesitated, “Is it the nemeton that’s brought them here?” He asked.

And before Stiles could say anything Isaac chimed in, “And how do we get rid of them. They seemed pretty damn strong from where I was standing.” He mumbled while rubbing the back of his neck as everyone sat there listening. 

“Bears trump wolves,” Stiles admitted, grimacing and letting out a breath. “It might be the Nemeton. But I don’t think that’s all.” 

“What do you mean?” Derek questioned, folding his arms across his chest. 

“They think like animals. Instinctively. Unless they’re being controlled.”

Braeden shifted forward and placed her empty soda can on the coffee table. “They’re being controlled.” She stated her tone matter-of-fact. “Or they’re with the thing I’ve been tracking from the desert. It doesn’t really make sense for them to leave there unless they have a reason.” She offered her gaze drifting to Stiles. Braden  lifted a brow at him, “What do you think?” She asked speaking directly to him. 

“I think the timing is a bit too perfect to be a coincidence. Also I don’t believe in coincidence,” he admitted, locking eyes with her, grim expression on his face. 

Braeden nodded. “So, are you planning on helping me hunt it down or did you have another plan?”

Chris cleared his throat, “What do we have on the thing ripping apart bodies. Anything distinctive that I can run with to see if there’s anything in the bestiary about it?”

Scott nodded, “That’s a good idea.” He replied glancing around the room. 

“So far? All I’ve got is _not werewolf._ ” He leaned back against the wall, meeting Chris’s gaze. “The berserkers just back that theory up. Werewolves can only control other werewolves. And only alphas can do it at that.” 

“So what can control berserkers?” Aiden questioned, leaning forward and glancing around. 

Chris shook his head, “Not werewolves.” He agreed not really sure off the top of his head what could possibly control a berserker. His gaze traveled over to Lydia, “Are you getting any feelings about them? Or in general?” Chris asked.

Lydia shifted uncomfortably when everyone’s eyes shifted to her. “I don’t think so. It’s not really a science. I feel a lot of things.” She stated. 

“We need to lay a trap. See if we can catch one, draw out whatever’s controlling them,” Stiles said after a moment, gaze shifting from Lydia to Braeden. He arched his eyebrows. “Up for it?”

Lydia pursed her lips and Braeden grinned. “Obviously. You know I am.” She commented. “Let’s grab us a Berserker. We going out in teams? If so dibs on your team.” She joked with a wink.

Isaac cocked his head to the side. “If we’re playing dibs I’m with Cora.” He replied, though his voice lacked the humor that Braeden’s held. He was still taking earlier pretty hard. It had brought back a lot of painful memories. 

Stiles smiled at Braeden and then glanced at Isaac, shaking his head a little. “I think we need more people working on the research side of things on this one,” he told him, glancing at Scott momentarily and hoping for an agreement from the alpha of the pack. He could still feel Isaac’s disquiet over what happened earlier, and he didn’t want him out there to possibly get hurt again.

Scott inclined his head, his eyes darting over to Isaac. “Stiles is right. There’s no need for any of us to go out there uselessly. Let’s learn more about the berserkers and what they’re all about. We don’t want anyone else getting hurt.” It was the last thing he wanted. “They’re strong, and we don’t really know how to take them down yet.”

Lydia had been quiet for a while listening mostly to what they were all saying. “What about me?” She asked lightly. “I can help.” 

Stiles tried to squash the immediate gut reaction at the thought of Lydia anywhere near a berserker, which was the desire to lock her in a room to keep her safe. Obviously he wasn’t going to lock her in a room, or even suggest it. She’d kill him. But that didn’t mean he was going to just let her walk into danger without a fight, either. “I’m pretty sure everyone’s help is gonna be needed for this one,” he told her, smile tense. 

“Help researching you mean,” she said watching him closely because despite the fact that he didn’t say it, it’s what he meant. “Because it’s okay for you to go out there and deal with them, but not me.” Lydia asked.

Scott stilled slightly his gaze shifting from Lydia to Stiles. He wasn’t going to touch that. 

Braeden rolled her eyes. “We’re better off leaving this to the people who are a bit more experienced don’t you think?” She asked the redhead as she glanced over at her. “It’s not like you’re the only one handling the research end of things, everyone is. That’s important too.” She offered before glancing over at Stiles. “Right?”

Lydia’s gaze fluttered over to Braeden, “I’m pretty sure I wasn’t talking to you.” She responded. 

“Braeden and I have a lot of experience dealing with traps and things capable of doing a lot of damage,” Stiles said quietly. “We can handle this one, Lyds.” He pressed his lips together. 

“We’ll probably need help with the Latin anyway,” Cora spoke up, glancing over at Lydia. “You’re the only one who can actually read it without having to stop and translate every word with a google search.” 

Lydia’s jaw clenched slightly and she glanced away from Stiles and over at Cora her expression softening slightly knowing she was only trying to help. But what was the point of teaching her how to fight or her having any abilities at all if no one was willing to actually let her use them? “Great. Well then do we have anything else we need to go over here? If not we should probably call it a night. And I guess you’ll let us know what happens with the whole trapping the berserker thing since we’re all going to sit this one out.” 

Stiles’ jaw tightened at her words, narrowing his eyes and forcing himself to take a deep breath to steel his nerves against her passive-aggressive response. He glanced over at the twins and Danny, who all looked a little uncomfortable. 

“What do you want us to do?” Danny asked him, leaning into Ethan’s side. 

“Utilize your computer skills and see what we can find on any outdoor public and private camera feed in Beacon Hills. See where else they’re turning up. Maybe we can get a look at whatever or whoever’s controlling them that way,” he suggested, shifting his attention to the twins. “And you two just lay low and keep your ears to the ground, see if you hear any rumblings about new people or unusual activity in the area.” 

Ethan nodded, “We can do that.” He responded glancing at his brother with a nod. “And if we find out anything? Are we following the lead or bringing it back here?” He asked, “Also what about Scott? Are we still all keeping an eye on him? Do we think this is somehow related to your dreams? Are these berserkers after Scott?” 

“Yeah. We’re still keeping an eye on Scott, which means he’s also sitting this one out.” Stiles arched his eyebrows and looked at his best friend. “I don’t know if they’re connected or not, but it’s not a risk we should take.” 

Scott shook his head, “I get it and appreciate it. But I still feel like you and Braeden should have some backup.” He offered, “If you don’t want me coming out there why don’t you take Derek.” He suggested glancing over at the other wolf briefly. 

He wanted to point out that one of these things had tossed Isaac across the preserve like a Frisby and he didn’t really want any of the rest of the pack to get injured or be in danger -- even Derek --  but he was pretty sure he was going to be outvoted on that. “Fine.” 

“What about me?” Kira spoke up, glancing around. “I mean not to brag, but I’m pretty good with electricity and a sword.” 

“And that’s why you should definitely be the one guarding Scott for the time being,” Stiles informed her without hesitation. 

Lydia at least agreed with that. Kira would keep Scott safe no matter what. Her brows drew together and she shifted in her seat. “If it’s supposedly so dangerous for us why exactly are we offering Derek up to go out there? If you haven’t noticed he’s a bit of a magnet for oh I don’t know being maimed by all things supernatural,” she glanced over at him, “No offense...it wasn’t a judgement.” She offered before glancing back at Scott and Stiles.

“Derek’s a big boy, I’m sure he can decide for himself whether or not he wants to come with us.” Braeden said.

Lydia did her best not to huff at Braeden’s response. The girl was clearly trying to get on her nerves. She spoke calmly, “I was not trying to make anyone’s decisions. I was just pointing it out.” She replied. “But forget I said anything.” Because it didn’t really matter anyway at the moment. She wasn’t even sure why she was so annoyed with everything. Maybe it was here. 

“I’m fine with Derek not coming,” Stiles offered, glancing at the werewolf and arching his eyebrows. “You can help Lydia research.” He was pretty sure they’d both prefer that anyway, considering. He looked over at Scott and gave a slight shrug. He and Braeden had dealt with some pretty nasty beasts in the past, including a Striga. Sure, the berserkers were strong, but he wasn’t exactly quaking in his boots, either. They were strong, and fast, but not smart. 

“Not to interrupt, but you’re leaving out some other people who can help,” Melissa spoke up, folding her arms across her chest and giving him a look. 

Scott frowned, “No parents allowed.” He said immediately. They couldn’t afford something happening to any of them. They all counted on them too much to lose them. “And as for Derek--”

“As for Derek, since I’m right here,” he said pointedly glancing between the young alpha and Stiles, “I can come with you guys. It’s fine. Besides as good as the two of you are at catching things neither of you know the woods like me.” Out of all of them he’d probably spent the most time in every nook and cranny of the preserve since he was a kid. If something was hiding out there, he’d know the spots it could be. He’d talk to Lydia before they went. 

“We’ll strategize tonight and tomorrow if we need the extra time,” Stiles responded, folding his arms across his chest and glancing at Braeden, and then Derek. 

Derek nodded and Scott smiled at Stiles. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Stiles and Braeden to handle things, he did, one hundred percent. But Stiles had a habit of going off on his own and doing things without the pack to protect them so no one else was getting needlessly hurt. But that left him wide open to get hurt himself and Scott didn’t want that. Plus he had a feeling his best friend was pulling back a bit, he wasn’t feeling him as strongly and that worried Scott. He shook the thought away and glanced around at everyone, his hand squeezing Kira’s gently. “So we’re all set then?” He asked tone light. 

“Looks like.” Stiles’ gaze rested on Lydia, who was studiously avoiding his eyes at the moment. 

“All right. We’ll get on it,” Aiden said, rising to his feet. He glanced at Michael and Melissa, neither of whom looked very happy at the moment. Definitely their cue to split. “Thanks for the pizza,” he told them with a small smile and a nod before heading for the door with Ethan and Danny behind him. 

Isaac watched them go and he rubbed his hands over his legs as he glanced around the room. “I’m gonna go outside for a bit,” he said while pushing himself up. He glanced at Cora angling his head towards the kitchen where the door to the backyard was. “Want to come?” He asked softly.

Cora sent him half a smile and nodded. “Sure.” She said while getting up.

Lydia watched them briefly and when they made their way out of the room she sat there for a second. Before pushing herself up and starting to pile together some of the plates and empty boxes to bring inside. She might as well help clean up. When she had a few things in her hands she straightened up and headed into the kitchen. 

“We aren’t through with this discussion,” Melissa informed Stiles and Scott. “For the record.” 

Stiles looked like he wanted to argue for a moment, then caught the stern look on his dad’s face and sighed softly. “I need to talk to Lydia,” he told them. “Can we postpone the rest of said discussion for a little bit?” 

Michael glanced at Melissa and she nodded. “Yes. Talk to her please and then come talk to us,” she paused turning her gaze on Scott, “both of you.” She stated sternly sending her son a look. Pulling the no parents allowed, her teenage alpha was getting a little bit ahead of himself. 

Kira bit her bottom lip. She glanced at Scott, “I should probably head out too. I want to fill my parents in on what’s going on.” She admitted. “But I can come back later?” She said hopefully before glancing over at the sheriff and Melissa, “Uh, if that’s okay…” 

“Of course, Sweetheart.” Melissa’s expression softened as she looked at Kira. “Be safe out there.” 

She gave a quick nod, then glanced at Scott, squeezing his hand. “See you soon,” she promised, ignoring the urge to lean in and kiss him because of the parental eyes in the room.

Scott smiled, “See you soon.” He watched her go and then glanced between Braeden and Derek with a small grin. Kira was adorable.

Derek just shook his head at the expression on Scott’s face, but there was a hint of a smile gracing his lips.

“We should probably give them some family time,” Braeden murmured, rising to her feet and glancing at Derek sideways. “If you want to join me, I’ll be on the porch.” Without waiting for a response, she headed for the door.

Derek lifted a brow as she moved towards the front door his gaze shifting briefly around the room and then darting towards the kitchen where Lydia had gone. Stiles had said he wanted to talk to her, so Derek would give them some time. He slipped his hands into his pockets and only hesitated for a minute before heading towards the front door to join Braeden on the porch. 

 

______

 

Stiles made his way into the kitchen with a few more of the stray plates and glasses that were in the living room. He moved to the sink where Lydia was standing, and carefully set the dishes down inside, leaning against the counter and gazing at her silently.

Lydia glanced at the dishes he’d put down as she continued cleaning the ones in the sink. “Thanks,” she offered as she reached for them. His gaze weighed on her as he stood there silently. The strawberry blonde sighed, “What?” She asked finally breaking the silence, her tone calm for the moment. 

“I’ll get those later,” he told her, reaching out and laying a hand on her shoulder. “I think we should talk, don’t you?”

Lydia’s hands paused. She did actually. But she was still upset and she was afraid she’d say something she’d regret by talking to him while she was still angry. Then again it wasn’t like she could avoid it...she didn’t  _ want _ to avoid it. She pressed her lips together and turned to face him. “Yeah, we should.” She responded as she reached for a towel to dry her hands. 

He could feel her reluctance, her hesitation, but also felt her desire to talk to him and he drew in a breath and reached for her hand when she was done drying them. “Upstairs?” He suggested.

Lydia glanced a their hands for a minute before slowly threading her fingers through his and looking back up at him. She nodded, “Yeah.” She agreed softly. 

Stiles turned her hand in his, lifting them both to his face and pressing a tender kiss to her knuckles before leading her out of the kitchen and up the stairs, slipping past the others without acknowledgment. He led her into his room, pushing the door open. flipping the light on and then closing the door shut behind them once they were both inside.

Lydia glanced around briefly noticing Braeden’s stuff off to the side and her clothes on Stiles’ bed and so she stepped over to the desk and sat down on his chair glancing up at him not quite sure what to say or rather where to start. “I’m not really sure what you want me to say.” She admitted honestly. She was feeling a lot of things at the moment. 

“I know you’re pissed at me,” he told her quietly, leaning back against the door. “But I’ve seen this thing, Lydia. It tossed _Isaac_  yards away with a flick of its wrist.” 

Lydia sighed, “I am.” She admitted, “And I know Stiles. You’ve mentioned that. And I get it. I get that you’re just looking out for everyone and you want to make sure everyone is safe, but you do this  _ all _ the time. It isn’t you against the world anymore. The whole definition of a pack is so that we’re all in this together.” She pointedly out. “But you keep running off to do things on your own. Or with  _ her _ .” She pressed her lips together because while she was annoyed about the Braeden thing, okay more than annoyed, right now this wasn’t all about that and she didn’t want it to be the focus. They’d get to her too eventually but this was something else.

“I’m not feeling everything I usually do from you. You’re closing yourself off and don’t say you’re not.” She added. “As strong as these things are...I’m strong too you know. And Chris thinks there’s more that I can do, a part that I haven’t tapped into yet. I can be useful and yet even after saving half the people in this pack and learning how to fight I’m still relegated to doing research instead of you actually letting me help. And that pisses me off. Why is it okay for Braeden, a human by the way with no abilities at all, to go out there and fight by your side but not me?” 

He listened carefully as she spoke, taking in everything she was saying and dropping his gaze when she mentioned he was shutting himself off, because that part she was right about. He needed a time out from everyone else feeling his emotions, even if he couldn’t take one from feeling everyone else’s in the pack. He exhaled, letting his shoulders drop a little before he moved to sit on the bed across from where she was sitting in his desk chair. He took no heed of Braeden’s things being there, just shoved them aside. 

“Okay, first of all I’d like to point out this is the first time she’s been here in months.” And sure, they kept in touch with phone calls and texts and the rare Skype session, but that was about it. “And yeah, I’ve shut down a little bit today. Sometimes I need to, so I can process things on my own first.” His voice was quiet, and he raked a hand through his hair. 

“And I _know_  you’re useful. This isn’t about that. I have no doubt you’ve got a lot of untapped abilities left we don’t even know about, Lydia. But the last time you used one of them, you _died_.” He looked down at the floor. 

Lydia pressed her lips together and held in a sigh. She needed to look at things from his perspective and she could understand how looking at things that way would make him hesitant to let her help. “I get it,” she said quietly, “I do. But I can’t just sit here and do nothing. I need to learn how to use my abilities the right way so that doesn’t happen again. And I can’t do that if no one gives me the chance to try.” She explained. Lydia was silent for a minute.

“You and I Stiles, we don’t communicate well.” She told him quietly. “This is our problem...it’s been a problem for us for a while now. If you need time to process things on your own,” she said going back to what he said before, “Why wouldn’t you just say that? Did you think I wouldn't understand? That I’d be angry? Because we all need some time alone to think every once in awhile. But instead of saying that, you just pull back and that makes me anxious...it makes me pull back too,” because it brings up old issues that she still hasn’t fully dealt with, which was something she needed to work on. 

She was right. They didn’t communicate well with one another, and they hadn’t since before he’d left town after the nogitsune. It was a continuous internal struggle for him to share things with people aside from his thoughts and theories about whatever was going on in ways it had only been mildly difficult before. That was on him. 

He nodded slightly in acknowledgement of what she was saying. “I want you to try. I want to help you work on your abilities and figure things out,” he said honestly. “But -- not in the middle of something like a battle with a berserker. I can’t --” He rubbed his hand over his face. “I can’t lose you, Lydia.” He’d once told her he’d go out of his freaking mind if she died, and that had never been more true than it was _now_. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything instead of just closing things down. I didn’t want to make you anxious, it was just -- me being an idiot.” He pressed his lips together, looking over at her. “I’m sorry.” 

Lydia’s chest tightened at his words because she understood them. She couldn’t lose him either, she didn’t know what she’d do if that happened. She hesitated a second before pushing herself up and walking over to him. She sat down carefully on his lap as she held his gaze. “I get it. I do Stiles. I can’t lose you either, but I’m right here. And I hate that you’re willing to go out and fight with Braeden and not me. And yeah I know she’s not here a lot, but you did it the last time she was here too.” She said quietly. 

“And I don’t need you to apologize about not saying anything. I just need you to tell me next time. Just say I need a few days or something. I just---I don’t know.” She said with a shrug looking away from him. She hated making him feel like he needed to apologize because it wasn’t about that. 

When she sat on his lap, his hands moved to rest on her hips, holding her there, steady. He leaned in and rested his forehead against her collarbone for a long moment, closing his eyes and breathing slowly in an attempt to clear his mind. “We’re not going to fight.” Hopefully. That wasn’t in his plans, anyway. “We’re just -- going to lay a trap.” He licked his lips, pulling back so he could look at her again. 

“As soon as we figure some things out about what’s going on, I promise I won’t try and sideline you anymore.” His eyes were pleading as he gazed at her. “And -- okay. I can do that.”

Lydia leaned into his touch and she blew out a short breath the pleading in his eyes clear. Most of the anger deflated from her body and her other issues with Braeden she pushed to the side for the moment, because now probably wasn’t the time for that and because she was trying hard not to let it bother her. She was failing miserably, but oh well. One problem at a time. “Okay,” she told him softly as she ran a hand down his arm. 

He lifted one of his hands to cup her cheek. “I love you,” he whispered, brushing his thumb lightly over her skin as he leaned in to kiss her. “More than anything. You know that, right?” He hoped she knew that.

Lydia leaned into the touch, some more of the tension leaving her body as she nodded silently. She tilted her head and brushed her lips against his lightly. “I know,” she replied just as softly. But sometimes it scared her to think that them loving each other as much as they did might not be enough. “I love you too,” She replied turning her head and pressing a kiss to his palm. “Come home with me tonight,” she murmured. “I miss you. I know there’s a lot going on and we’ve all got things to do for tomorrow. But,” she paused her gaze dropping as she played with the hem of his shirt, “we’ve never really gotten to spend an uninterrupted night together.

He held his breath at her words. He’d be tempted to ask her to stay there instead, but Braeden needs a place to stay while she’s in town, and he wouldn’t feel right asking her to find somewhere else because he wanted to spend the night with his girlfriend. “Assuming I’m not grounded for life, I’d love to.” 

Lydia smiled, “I’m sure you won’t be. Ms. McCall--Stilinski,” she corrected, “likes me, so if you told her I needed you I’m sure she’d be okay with it.” She replied while sliding a hand down his shirt. “Tonight?” 

“My dad likes you, too,” he informed her, groaning a little as she ran her hand over his chest and abs. He licked his lips, breath quickening. He let his own hand slide up the back of her shirt, fingers gliding over her skin lightly. “Yes. That’s definitely a yes.”

Lydia grinned leaning into his touch enjoying the groan that fell from his mouth. It had been a while since she’d seen Stiles relax in any kind of way. And it had certainly been a while since they’d spent any time together. Since Mr. Argent had sort of interrupted their date. She slid her hand beneath his shirt resting her palm on his abdominal muscles. “Good. I think we need some time.” She admitted and it was true their connection was lacking lately and while it wasn’t just a physical thing, that was part of it. 

Stiles nodded his agreement, closing his eyes and leaning in to press a kiss against her neck, soft and teasing. He slid a hand up and into her hair, lifting his lips to meet hers in a kiss. A promise of things to come.


	7. Chapter 7

Melissa sat in the large chair across from the sofa, her husband perched on the arm of said chair as she kept her gaze on the three teenagers in front of her. It had been a couple of hours since the pack meeting ended and everyone had finally made their way home. They’d had a mostly quiet dinner, but before she was letting the boys go their separate ways for the evening she and Michael needed to address the issue at hand. 

Melissa crossed her legs and arched an eyebrow at Stiles, Scott and Isaac. “Well, which one of you want to go first?” She asked keeping her tone light, but stern. 

“Not me,” Isaac responded, shrinking back against the sofa and letting his gaze drop to the floor. 

Stiles pursed his lips, glancing at Isaac and then Scott, but keeping silent for the time being. 

Scott sighed, shoulders dropping slightly. “We’re trying to protect you.” He said finally when no one else said anything. He couldn’t let anything happen to his mom after everything they’d been through since she found out what he was that had always been a fear of his. And now that they were all a family...he didn’t want to lose that. 

“We know that. But it’s _our_  job to protect the three of _you_ ,” Melissa pointed out, giving him a look and then glancing at Michael for backup. 

Michael rested a hand against Melissa’s back and he nodded. “Your mother’s right.” He replied without hesitation. “We understand that there are certain things that need to be handled a certain way, but your mother and I and Chris...we’re to be kept involved every step of the way.” His gaze trailed over to Stiles, “I don’t care that you spent a year on your own,” his gaze traveled over to Scott, “or that you're an alpha of your own pack,” and then finally landed on Isaac, “or that you can most likely bench press the truck. You’re all our kids and you’ll follow our rules. Got it?” He asked sternly.

“Yes, Sir,” Isaac said, shrinking down on the sofa even more between Stiles and Scott. 

Stiles, on the other hand, sat up a little straighter, looking nonplussed. “Define ‘kept involved,’” he said, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. 

Michael narrowed his eyes at his son and opened his mouth, but the hand on his arm stopped him. His gaze drifted to Melissa and she just barely shook her head before meeting Stiles’ gaze. “We want to know what you’re planning, when you’re planning it and Chris and your father are to be involved in any excursions where you think you’re going to be fighting and or hunting whatever these things are.”

Scott frowned, “Mom, that defeats the purpose of keeping you guys safe.” He stated.

“I’m fine keeping you guys in the loop of plans, and I’m fine with Chris being out there hunting these things because he’s dealt with them before.” Stiles glanced at Scott, then shook his head. “But absolutely not. No way are _you_  going out there after one of them.” He looked at his dad. 

Michael pursed his lips, “Try to remember you the kid here.” He stated. “I’m the adult and this is my job. Supernatural creatures or not Stiles.”

Scott glanced back and forth between them and sighed. “Can’t there be like some kind of middle ground?” He asked hopefully. “We keep you in the loop, we let Argent come along and then after we come back and fill everyone in.” He offered.

Melissa was silent for a minute before shifting forward, “And what if someone gets hurt or something happens while you’re out there? Don’t you three understand what would happen if we lost any of you?” She asked a slight hitch in her throat.

“I remember. I’ve also read your work contract and there’s not a single word in it about fighting supernatural creatures made of animal bones and that are the size of polar bears,” Stiles responded wryly. He shook his head, falling silent at Scott’s attempt at mediation. 

“What would happen to us if we lost one of you?” Isaac asked quietly, not looking up. 

Michael’s chest tightened and he shook his head. “That’s not gonna happen. We’re not going anywhere,” his eyes darted to Stiles, “and we know the risks. This is about us all working together so that everyone is safe.” He explained as he rubbed Melissa’s back.

“You don’t know that,” Stiles said, his own voice dropping. None of them knew that. There was no way _to_  know that. “And I’m fine with us all working together. But some of us should work together from home or the sheriff’s station and not out in the woods dealing with monsters.” 

Scott sighed. This wasn’t going well. He glanced at him mom hoping she would mediate between Stiles and his dad, considering how stubborn they both were. But she looked a little upset at the moment. “Guys…”

Michael shook his head. “This isn’t a negotiation,” he replied calmly though his patience was wearing thin. “You think you’re an adult and that you can make all these decisions on your own, well so can we. I’m not saying I’m going to go looking for danger,” he assured them, “But I’m not hiding away in an office either.”

Stiles’ jaw tightened as a surge of annoyance flared inside of him that he tried his best to clamp down on. “Fine. Are we done here?” 

Isaac winced, nudging him slightly. 

Scott leaned back against the couch, reaching out to pat Isaac slightly.

Michael narrowed his eyes again. “Yeah, as a matter-of-fact we are.” He stated arms crossing over his chest.

Melissa let out a breath and shook her head. “No, we’re not. You two will not leave here angry at each other. Look, we’re all just doing what we think is best. You want to keep us safe, we want to keep you safe. How about we all just agreed to keep each other safe.” She said softly. “That’s what families do.”

Stiles narrowed his own eyes at his dad and folded his arms, too, looking like a younger but mirrored version of his dad, right down to the disapproving scowl on his face. His expression did soften a little at Melissa’s words and he looked away after a moment, nodding silently. 

Melissa relaxed slightly, “Good, now that we have that out of the way. What are everyone’s plans tonight?” She asked lightly steering the topic to something less controversial. 

“Cora and I were going to see a movie, but then today happened and she and Derek and I are going to patrol the town to make sure the berserkers aren’t randomly attacking people,” Isaac offered.

Michael opened his mouth and Melissa rested a hand on his leg. “You should ask Chris to go with you.” She stated, the words more of statement than a request. “I’m sure it would be safer with all of you together.” She offered. “And you’ll be careful.” She said eyeing him.

Stiles resisted the urge to kick Isaac in the leg. He was going to have to talk him about not freaking out their parents unnecessarily. 

“Derek mentioned something about talking to Chris. Said Chris has experience dealing with berserkers,” he agreed with a shrug. 

Melissa smiled, “Good.” Her gaze drifted to Scott, “What about you?”

Scott shifted in his seat, “I was going to ask if Kira could come over for a bit. So we can hang out. Maybe watch a movie upstairs…” when his mom arched an eyebrow he rushed on, “Or downstairs. Whatever is fine.” He answered. Or maybe he should just go to Kira’s...though her mom still gave him funny looks sometimes.

Stiles barely managed to suppress a groan. Seriously. Be more obvious, guys, he thought with an inward sigh. Scott and Isaac were both horrible liars. _Horrible_.

“And you?” Melissa questioned, looking at Stiles. 

“Going to Lydia’s to study for the upcoming midterms,” he said without missing a beat. 

Michael nodded. “Okay, you boys are free to go and of course Kira can come over Scott.” He nodded towards the door. “Be home at a decent hour, don’t make your mother worry.” 

Stiles rose to his feet, glancing back at Isaac. “Keep me updated?” He asked with arched eyebrows.    


“Yeah, definitely,” Isaac agreed with a nod. He stood up, too, glancing at Scott. “And you too.” 

Scott nodded. “Yup will do.” He stood and smiled, “I’m gonna go call Kira. Have fun,” he nodded at Stiles and Isaac, giving them both a pat on the shoulders before heading out of the room.

Isaac glanced around and sent them a hesitant smile. “See you guys later tonight.” He inclined his head in Stiles direction, waved to Melissa and the sheriff and headed for the door.

Michael watched Stiles for a minute, “Be careful.” 

Stiles paused on his way to the door behind Isaac, waiting until the werewolf was gone before exhaling and reluctantly moving over to wrap his arms around his dad in a wordless hug.

Some of the tension left Michael’s body as he wrapped his arms around Stiles hugging him back. He glanced at Melissa over his shoulder and she smiled. He knew it was hard for Stiles to see any of them putting themselves in danger, but they were a family and they had to look out for each other.

 

______

 

Lydia ran her hand through her damp hair as she glanced at herself in the mirror. Stiles had texted a couple of minutes ago letting her know he was on his way there. She shifted back glancing at the tank top and shorts she wore before letting out a sigh and making her way out of the bedroom and down the hallway. She paused in front of Derek’s open door, leaning against the frame as she watched him for a minute. “I still think you guys going out there this late looking for trouble is a bad idea.” She stated. There was too much going on and she was afraid he’d get hurt. 

“We’ll be fine,” he assured her as he shrugged into his leather jacket, tiny smile tugging at his lips. “Besides, aren’t you wanting some alone time with Stiles?” He gave her a knowing look.

Lydia rolled her eyes playfully, “I do,” she replied, “I asked him to stay over tonight.” She offered. “So when you come home be nice.” She knew Stiles was still upset about what happened last time even if he wouldn’t admit it.

“I won’t barge in,” he promised. But that was more for her than Stiles. 

Lydia scrunched her nose. “That isn’t what I meant, well I mean it is. But I meant more like make him feel welcome. Because you know,” she shrugged, “I don’t know. Things haven’t been great with us recently and I guess I’m trying to fix them. And that will work better if you two can get along.” She explained.

He gave her a wry look. “Are you asking me to make him breakfast in the morning?” Maybe he’d picked up some of the younger guy’s sarcasm over the last few years. 

Lydia smirked, “No, he probably wouldn’t eat it anyway.” She said with a sigh as she pouted slightly. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t make me breakfast,” she replied, “Because I still need to eat.” She gave him a once over and her brows drew together. “You look nice,” she paused, “Why do you look nice?”

Derek smirked, too, but then looked confused as he glanced down at his clothes. “I look nice?” 

Lydia tilted her head to the side. “It’s the jacket, I haven’t seen it in a while. It always gives you that, I’m sexy and dangerous look.” She narrowed her eyes, “Who are you being sexy and dangerous for?” She asked as she stepped into his room without an invitation because really, who needed that?

“I’m not _being_  sexy and dangerous for anyone,” he responded automatically. He just _was_ sexy and dangerous. 

Lydia arched a brow as she sat on his bed, crossing her legs. “I see the implication there in case you didn’t think I did.” She joked as she watched him for a minute. “Will you guys be gone long?” She asked her tone light.

“I don’t know,” he told her, turning to look at her again as she moved to sit on his bed. “A few hours.” The pack belonged to Scott, but the town had been the Hale’s for centuries. It was his to help protect, and he took it personally every time someone or something threatened it.  

Lydia nodded, “Okay, just--please be careful. I know you say you will be I’m just reaffirming it.” She explained. Between Stiles and Derek she was always scared one of them was going to die because they were both idiots when it came to protecting people they cared about. “You leaving now?”

“I’ll be careful,” he promised, moving over to her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “Yeah. I’m gonna swing by with Cora and pick up Isaac and Braeden. Chris is going to meet us at the edge of town.” 

Lydia made a face. “I don’t like her.” She stated disregarding the rest of his sentence. “She intentionally baits me, constantly and if she doesn’t watch it she’s going to be the next thing I practice my abilities on,” she grumbled petulantly. 

Derek cocked an eyebrow. “And that wouldn’t have anything to do with the fact that she came down from Stiles’ room in nothing but one of his shirts, would it?” 

Lydia fluttered her lashes, “That’s not the  _ only _ reason.” She said with a huff. “She’s also annoying and Stiles always seems to take her side with things. Plus he’ll go galavanting in the woods with little miss I like to shoot guns. And I mean _ I  _ don’t even wear Stiles’ shirts.” She told him. “I’m just saying I don’t like her.” She mumbled as she picked at the lint that wasn’t really on her cotton shorts.

That was an understatement. The annoyance and jealousy was rolling off her in waves. “You should talk to Stiles and tell him how you feel.” He rested a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. 

Lydia glanced up and shook her head. “No. He likes Braeden. They have all this history from when he was away and they’re close...I’m not gonna be  _ that _ girl. It’s not a big deal,” she added, “I mean it’s not like she’ll be here long and things are already shaky between us. I don’t want to fight with him tonight.”

“I didn’t say tonight. But you should be honest with him, Lydia. Isn’t that what they say the key is to a good relationship?” Not that he’d know. Not really. 

Lydia sighed, “Yeah, I don’t know...I like to think I know how good relationships work, but since I’ve never actually had one,” her voice trailed off. “I don’t want to mess things up with him. It seems like I’m constantly doing something. I just, I want us to be happy.” She explained with a shrug. “Sometimes I feel like that’s not going to happen. Like no matter how much we love each other we’re not going to get past this, whatever it is. And that scares me.” She admitted honestly because that didn’t seem to be something she had trouble with when it came to Derek.

He pressed his lips together, not liking how upset she was. “I get what you’re saying, but I still think you should tell him. For the record.” He glanced toward the clock. “Speaking of, I hear his erratic heartbeat approaching the apartment.” 

Lydia smiled, “I love his erratic heartbeat,” she joked to lighten the mood as she stood. She reached out and brushed her hand against his arm. “Thanks,” she said softly. “If I haven’t mentioned it lately, I’m glad I’ve kept you around all this time.” She teased. 

Derek gave her a knowing look. “Of course you are.” He rose to his feet, heading for the door. “I’ll let him in on my way out.” 

Lydia nodded, “Okay,” she said while making her way out of his room, “Be nice,” she called over her shoulder.

Derek shook his head as he watched her head into the kitchen and sighed as he stepped out into the hallway and walked towards the front door tugging it open before Stiles could even knock. He pulled it open wider and shifted to the side so the younger man could come inside. “Stiles.” He nodded in greeting.

“Hey.” Stiles nodded back as he stepped inside, rubbing the back of his neck. “Heard you guys are heading out to patrol.”

Derek inclined his head. “We are, just for a bit. We want to make sure no one gets hurt tonight.” He offered figuring that was something they could both agree on. He knew protecting the pack and the town was important to Stiles also. 

“That’s good.” He offered Derek a faint smile and glanced around. “If something comes up, call me?”

Derek studied Stiles for a minute before shaking his head. “We’ve got Argent, we should be good. Take the night off from worrying.” He stated as he nodded towards the hallway, “Lydia’s in the kitchen. I should head out.” He returned the smile with a half one of his own before moving towards the door to leave. 

“Be careful,” Stiles warned, watching as he headed out the door, closing it behind him and locking it. He exhaled and then turned to walk toward the kitchen, shrugging out of his jacket on the way and hanging it on the back of the sofa. 

Lydia heard the movement and she smiled. She stepped out of the kitchen and spotted Stiles near the couch. “Hey you,” she said softly as she closed the distance between them. 

“Hi.” He smiled, leaning back against the sofa and holding his arms out to her.

Lydia took his hand and dropped down on the couch next to him, her body automatically leaning into his. She turned her head and brushed a kiss against his cheek, “Things go okay with your parents?” Lydia inquired lightly as she made herself comfortable against his side. 

He wrapped his arms around her easily, resting his head against hers and sighing softly at the question. “Not exactly.” It definitely hadn’t gone the way he’d wanted it to. Far from it. He was convinced his dad was going to end up hurt, or worse, and it scared the hell out of him.

Lydia’s brows drew together as she rested a hand on his chest rubbing her palm against him gently. “That doesn’t sound good, you want to talk about it?” 

“No.” He exhaled, pressing a kiss against her forehead. Because talking about it would lead back to them talking about how he’d also tried to make _her_  stay out of it, and he’s tired of fighting with everyone he loves.

Lydia leaned into the kiss and smiled. If he didn’t want to talk about it that was fine, she’d try to take his mind off of it. “Okay,” she responded as she played with the fabric of his shirt. “Hey I’ve been meaning to ask you, did you ever get a chance to go through that pile of college brochures?” It had been a while since they talked about anything normal and it was also something they were going to have to make a decision about, you know provided they made it through the next big catastrophe. 

“Does it count if I glanced at them while I was Skyping with someone across the globe?” He asked hopefully. 

Not if that someone was Braeden, but Lydia kept that thought to herself. “I’ll take that as a no then,” she said with a grin. “I suppose we shouldn’t worry about college until we actually graduate, if that even happens.” She joked as she shifted in his arms until she was able to rest her head in his lap as she glanced up at him while bringing her legs up onto the couch. 

His expression softened as she lay down. He rested a hand on her shoulder, gently rubbing her arm up and down. “We’re going to graduate.” At least she was, for sure. He didn’t really care one way or the other. He already had his GED anyway. Graduating high school was just a formality at this point.

“So you say,” she joked softly as she let her body relax. Lydia was silent for a minute enjoying the repetitive pattern his hand was rubbing along her arm. She rested her palm over his hand stopping the movement as she brushed her thumb against the skin there. “This is nice.” She told him quietly. 

“We will.” He felt her relax against him, and he started to relax, too, resting his head against the back of the sofa. A small smile tugged at his mouth as he nodded his agreement with her words. “Yeah it is.”

Lydia angled her head to the side and pressed a kiss against his hand. “Did you eat?” She asked lightly, “Do you want anything? Cause there’s probably something in the fridge.” She offered. 

“Nah. The pizza was more than enough.” He glanced down at her, brushing a thumb over her lower lip. “But there’s definitely something I want.”

Lydia’s heart jumped a beat in her chest, her pulse quickening as she held his gaze. “Oh yeah?” She pressed a kiss a against his finger, “And what might that be?” She asked a hint of mischief in her gaze. 

His eyes darkened a little when she kissed his finger. He wrapped his arms around her, rolling her beneath him on the sofa and gazing down at her. “I’d say it’s pretty obvious, wouldn’t you?” He dropped a kiss against her collarbone.

Her hand automatically slid up his back when his head dropped to her collarbone and she inhaled deeply while gripping his midsection with her other hand. “Well you’re certainly not subtle,” she joked, a grin sliding along her lips as she parted her legs slightly in an effort to tug him closer to her body. 

“Subtlety is highly overrated,” he informed her with a grin, pressing closer against her when she tugged on him. “Wouldn’t you say?” He slid his arms beneath her shoulders so they were face to face. He kissed the tip of her nose.

Lydia nodded, “Definitely,” she whispered as she brushed her nose against his jaw before tilting her head up nipping gently at his skin. “So overrated,” she murmured as her hand slipped beneath his shirt, her small palm sliding over his warm skin. 

Stiles inhaled sharply, closing his eyes at the feel of her hand against his bare skin. He snuck a hand beneath her shirt, as well, sliding it up her back as he opened his eyes again to gaze down at her. “I love you,” he whispered.

Lydia’s expression softened, “I love you too,” she stated, voice soft, “So much.” A shiver ran down her spine as she let her hand slip around his body and down his abdominal muscles, feeling them clench beneath her palm. “Touch me,” she whispered.

Stiles groaned at the soft plea, shifting their bodies so they were both sitting up and he reached down for the hem of her shirt, tugging  it up and over her head without further hesitation. He tossed it aside, leaning in and pressing his lips against her neck as his hands slid down her body, one finding its way to the curve of her hip and the other sliding up and into her hair.

A soft moan fell from her lips as she threaded her fingers into his hair, letting her head fall to the side giving him better access to the skin there. His hands were warm against her body, desire sparking inside of her as she pressed herself closer to him, her hand tugging gently at the hem of shirt.  “Off,” she stated needing to feel him against her.

“So demanding,” he teased, trailing kisses down to her shoulder before pulling away just enough to help her divest him of his own shirt. It fell somewhere in the vicinity of hers. Then he leaned back in and pressed his mouth against hers, resting his hands on her shoulders.

She gripped his side opening her mouth beneath his as her other hand slid up his back, every so often her palm grazing over a scar here and there. Lydia made a quiet sound against Stiles’ mouth as she shifted one bare leg sliding it against the outside of his jean clad leg. 

He let one of his own hands drop down to rest on her thigh, thumb brushing lightly over her soft skin as the kiss deepened. His heart was beating faster than normal, and he used his free hand to tug her even closer to him, so their chests were pressed together.

Lydia returned the kiss enthusiastically, not breaking it until her lungs burned with a need for air. Arousal sparked inside of her, the feel of his hand on her thigh making need throb between her thighs in anticipation. Her breathing picked up speed as she tilted her head to the side and sucked in a sharp breath, “Stiles,” she whispered, her tone breathy. “I need you,” her hand slid down stopping at his belt, her fingers brushing against the skin there. She’d been needing this for a while now. 

He smiled against her mouth, licking his lips when she pulled away and started tugging at his belt. He leaned in again, pressing a hot, open-mouthed kiss against her neck, then slid his arms beneath her, picking her up bridal style and lifting her off the couch. “Not on the sofa. Not enough room for all the things I intend to do to you,” he informed her with a smirk.

Lydia’s arms automatically slid around his neck as he lifted her up, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she arched a brow at his words. “Well that certainly seems promising,” she teased lightly, her fingers stroking the back of his neck as she dipped her head towards him and ran her tongue over the shell of his ear. 

He shuddered involuntarily as he carried her toward her bedroom. “That’s the idea,” he informed her, kicking the door shut and pausing long enough to turn the lock. He considered momentarily about blocking it with the dresser for good measure, but decided against it, moving over to the bed and laying her down beneath him, his body stretched out over hers.

Lydia smiled, one hand sliding down until she was gripping his midsection and the other curling around the back of his neck as she pressed light kisses along his jaw. Her heart was beating heavily against her chest, and the pressure from his body made heat spread through her. “I love you,” she murmured, “just in case you didn’t already know that, but I’m sure you did, hopefully.” She added as her lips continued to move against his skin. 

He closed his eyes as she pressed kisses against his skin, inhaling slowly at her words. A soft smile touched his mouth, and he nodded before opening his eyes again and meeting her eyes. “I know. I love you, too, Lyds,” he whispered, gently brushing some hair out of her face before sliding his way down her body, pressing kisses against her chest, between the valley of her breasts, and down to her stomach.

Her eyes fluttered shut and her stomach muscles clenched when his lips slid down her skin. She swallowed heavily as her hand slipped into his hair, nails gently scraping at his scalp. Lydia shifted beneath him attempting to get her heartbeat to slow down, but no such luck. “Show me,” she stated referring to his comment as she gave his hair a gentle tug. 

Stiles lifted his gaze to look at her once more when she tugged on his hair, and he kissed his way back up her body, shifting slightly so most of his weight rested on his side as he leaned in to catch her lips in another kiss even as he slid his hand slowly down her stomach and beneath the waistband of her shorts.

Lydia cupped his cheeks and returned the kiss, her mouth moving slowly over his as she angled her body in his direction, a soft sound escaping into his mouth when his hand slid into her shorts. Her legs parted and her fingers edged their way down his chest pausing briefly at his stomach, rubbing her thumb over the skin just above the waistband of his pants. Lydia broke the kiss when her lungs burned with a need for oxygen. She turned her head breathing against his cheek, “God I’ve missed this,” she whispered. 

He exhaled when she pulled away, dropping his forehead to rest against her neck. “Me too,” he admitted. Not that it was a surprise. They’d grown accustomed to a certain level of physical intimacy and they hadn’t really had much alone time lately. He let his fingers slip lower, letting them toy with the waistband of her underwear momentarily before moving to cup her center, lifting his head to watch her as he brushed his fingers gently over her.

Lydia’s reaction was immediate, she arched into his touch, a soft moan tumbling from her lips as one of her hands reached out curling gently around his forearm. She loved when he touched her and it hadn’t been nearly enough lately. It wasn’t just the sex, though she certainly wouldn’t complain about that. But when they were close like this, the barriers between them came down and their connection was at it’s strongest, physically and mentally. 

It hadn’t been nearly enough lately by far. He held his breath as he watched her, as he slid his fingers over the sensitive bundle of nerves lightly, watching and enjoying every subtle shift in her expression. “You’re so beautiful, Lydia,” he murmured.

Lydia’s breath hitched in her throat as she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth, heat spreading through her body as need built inside of her. “You’re not so bad yourself,” she teased, voice breathy. She rocked her hips into his hand and caught his gaze, the feel of his eyes on her making her look over at him. She slid her hand down his arm until her smaller palm was resting over his urging him to increase the pressure of his hand against her. “I need more,” she whispered. 

He pressed a kiss against her cheek as he let her double the pressure of his fingers against her core, sliding a finger inside her even as he stroked her with his thumb. He was already painfully ready to be inside her, but he didn’t want this to be just about him. He never wanted it to be just about him. “Better?”

“Getting there,” she breathed as pleasure spread through her nerve endings. “Stiles,” his name came out in a moan as she shifted her hips again, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted him. “I need  _ you _ ,” the words were out of her mouth without preamble as she brushed her lips against his. “I need to feel you inside of me.” The strawberry blonde mumbled.

Well, he wasn’t about to deny her _that_. He raised up off her, undoing his jeans and sliding them off with his boxers, kicking them away from the bed as he watched her shimmy her shorts and underwear off, her clothes following his and then sliding himself back on top of her once more. He guided himself to her entrance, reaching up and taking both of her hands in his, linking their fingers together and watching her intently. “Ready?”

Lydia shifted beneath him, her heart slamming against her chest as she nodded. “Yeah,” she whispered as she squeezed his hand gently while lifting her hips a bit urging him on, “I’ve  _ been _ ready, so ready.” She murmured as she tilted her head up and brushed her lips against his jaw.

She didn’t have to say anymore. When she tilted her hips up, he groaned and dropped his head against her chest as he slid inside of her, shuddering and holding his breath as he remained still for a moment, giving her time to adjust to his presence. He squeezed both of her hands gently and lifted his head to look at her once more, meeting her gaze as they began to move together slowly.

Lydia sucked in a sharp breath, a low moan falling from her throat as she rocked her hips into his, one of her legs coming up to hook over his hip, tugging his body even closer as she arched her body, eyes never leaving his. “God I love you,” she whispered the tension she’d been holding onto for weeks lifting from her body as she finally opened herself up to him. 

He felt all of his own defenses dropping as their eyes locked on one another and he rolled his hips against hers gently, slowly, not in a rush. He leaned down, brushing his nose against hers. “I love you, too, Lyds,” he whispered. “I love you so much.”

She let out another soft noise when his hips rolled forward making him slide deeper into her body. Her eyes fluttered shut at the feel of him. It was the first time in a while Lydia hadn’t felt anything in between them, their connection was open and honestly she wasn’t sure what felt better. “Stiles.”

He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth before he let go of her hands and slid his arms beneath her, flipping them over so she was atop him, settling his hands at her hips as he gazed up at her.

Desire darkened in her eyes as he shifted their positions, her knees pressing into the mattress on either side of his body. She watched him for a minute, tongue darting out against her lip as she slid her hands up his chest, small palms caressing his warm skin. Lydia press her hands against him as she shifted her hips, rocking over him slowly, another soft moan tumbling from her lips. “I’ve missed feeling you,” she admitted, and she didn’t just mean physically though that was a given. 

Stiles smiled up at her, gaze raking over her bare body as she settled atop him. He was pretty sure this was his favorite way to be with her. He liked to be able to watch her as she moved, found himself mesmerized by the expressions on her face, and the way her hair cascaded down her back. “I’ve missed you, period,” he said quietly, rubbing her thighs softly.

Lydia smiled down at him enjoying the way his hands rubbed her thighs. She clenched around him, rotating her hips as her hands pressed harder against his chest, giving her better leverage to move against him. “Well,” she leaned forward closing some of the distance between their bodies, lifting off his just slightly in the process, “maybe you need to spend more time with me,” she told him, her tone breathy as she started moving a bit faster.

“Clearly,” he agreed, nodding and lifting his hands to her face, cupping it in his hands and cradling it gently as she moved above him. He brushed some hair back and out of her eyes, tucking it behind her ears with a soft, adoring expression on his face. It was an expression that had always been reserved for her and her alone.

It was her favorite expression, one that for a while she thought she’d never see again. Lydia dipped her head down and captured his lips in a hungry kiss, moving her mouth over his as she trailed one hand further up his body until she was gripping the back of his neck as she continued to move against him, hips undulating as she moaned into his mouth. 

Stiles kissed her back just as hungrily, slowly sliding a hand between them and gently rubbing his fingers over the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of her thighs. “How close are you?” He murmured, cupping the back of her head with his other hand, enjoying the moan that escaped her.

Lydia gasped, a slight shiver going down her spine when his fingers started moving against her clit. Her breathing picked up speed as she ground her hips against his. The strawberry blonde lifted herself up arching her body, head dipping back slightly as she rode him, pleasure spreading through her body as her movements quickened. “Close,” she finally answered the word coming out in a moan. 

He looked up at her, watching her face intently as he continued to stroke her, increasing the pressure and speed of his fingers as she moved against him. Without warning, he shifted beneath her, meeting her thrusts halfway with one of his own and dropping his head back as pleasure shuddered through his own body.

Lydia whimpered softly, hands clutching against his chest, nails clipping his skin as her movements became more erratic. The sounds leaving her throat grew louder as pleasure spread through her body. She ground her hips down on him one more time before arching her head back, long hair flowing down behind her, and crying his name as she came hard, her inner walls fluttering around him. 

He hissed as her nails dug into his skin, but he moved his hands to hold onto her hips as her orgasm washed over her. Then he rolled them so he was atop her once more, giving her a smile  as he moved within her, his own pleasure not far off from the horizon. He thrust into her a few more times before he felt his muscles tighten and he spilled himself inside her, shuddering and panting for breath.

Lydia gripped his back, her breathing heavy, body slightly damp with sweat as she ran her fingers down his back. Her eyes opened a tired smile tugging at her lips. “Remind me why we haven’t found time to do that again?” She teased softly tilting her head up and brushed her lips lightly against his jaw. 

A short breathless chuckle escaped him at her words and he leaned down to kiss her softly before rolling off her so he didn’t crush her. Instantly he reached out, pulling her into his arms so she was resting against his chest. “Because clearly we’re idiots.”

Lydia chuckled and she pressed herself into him sliding an arm around him as she slid a leg between his. “Agreed. Let’s not be idiots again, as a matter of fact I think we should stay in this bed for a very, very long time.” She joked as she pressed a kiss to his chest, feeling more relaxed than she had in weeks. Things finally seemed like they were okay between them. 

“No arguments here,” he murmured, brushing a kiss against her hair as he stroked a hand down her back. He closed his eyes, resting his head against hers.

Lydia relaxed into him and nodded against his chest. “Good,” she yawned, “I love you.” She mumbled, body growing heavy against him. Maybe things would work out after all.


	8. Chapter 8

A soft gasp pulled from her lips as Lydia’s  eyes flew open, heartbeat pounding in her chest as she stared up at the ceiling a hint of confusion on her face. She blinked a couple of times turning her head stiffly to glance around as she attempted to control her breathing. Another nightmare.She lifted a hand slowly pressing it against her chest and sighed. Lydia glanced over at Stiles briefly making sure he was still asleep before slipping carefully out of bed, bending down and grabbing his shirt off the floor. 

She pulled it over her head and quietly made her way out of the bedroom, bare feet hitting the cold floor. She closed the bedroom door halfway behind her squinting when the light hit her eyes in the hall. The strawberry blonde ran a hand through her hair as she walked towards the kitchen desperately needing a cup of coffee. The smell hit her nose before she even got to the kitchen and she smiled. Derek was up and already making coffee. 

Lydia stepped into the kitchen, grin on her face, “Have I mentioned how much I love that you always know I need coffee in the--” her words trailed off when she glanced over to the coffee maker and spotted Braeden. Not Derek. Lydia tensed her gaze traveling over the other girl eyes narrowing slightly. “You’re not Derek.” She stated, though clearly that was obvious. 

Braeden turned at the sound of footsteps before Lydia ever said a word. Her hands were wrapped around a mug of coffee and she was dressed in one of Derek’s shirts that went just above her knees in length. “I’m not, but I did make coffee,” she informed her with an amused smile, leaning back against the counter.

Lydia’s jaw clenched at the amusement she saw in the other girl's gaze. She arched a brow. “That’s  _ my  _ coffee mug.” She stated annoyance clear in her voice, that was also her favorite shirt, but she kept that to herself.

She took a sip of the coffee she’d already been drinking, then held it out to her. “Here. I’ll pour another.” She arched an eyebrow back at Lydia.

Lydia made a face, “Why are you even here?” She asked crossing her arms over her chest, “Spending the night at Stiles’ wasn’t enough you thought you’d make your way here and insert yourself into yet another aspect of my life?” She inquired, tone short. 

“I came home with Derek,” Braeden said, other eyebrow raising now, as well. “Don’t assume everything is about you, Lydia.”

Her jaw ticked, “I never said anything was about me.” She shook her head not entirely sure why she was so angry. “But clearly you like making yourself at home right in the middle of my life.” Lydia felt emotion building in her chest and she shoved it down. “Why are you here? And I don’t mean  _ here _ .” She added. Braeden always seemed to show up when bad things happened and Lydia was starting to think maybe that wasn’t a coincidence...or maybe she was being paranoid, but that wasn’t the point. 

“You kind of did.” Braeden gave her a pointed look. “You implied that my staying at Stiles’ house and then showing up here was me inserting myself into your life. It isn’t. It doesn’t have anything to do with you.” She shrugged, set the mug down, and folded her arms across her chest. “And I’m here because I’m tracking the latest big bad, which happened to be drawn right to this town.”

Lydia lifted her brows, “That’s right it has to do with you and Stiles.” She stated. “And what you weren’t satisfied with the year he spent away from all of us where you wormed your way into his life so you decided maybe you’d do the same with Derek?” She asked. It was bad enough that Braeden had experienced a side of Stiles that Lydia never had, was there for things that she’d never fully know about and shared a part of his life that she and Scott had missed out on. But now she was going to come to town and what start something up with Derek so that he’d go off and  leave too? 

“Actually it has to do with me trying to help save all of your asses again,” she said dryly, giving Lydia a bemused look. She took a step toward her. “And for the record? I didn’t worm my way anywhere. I was asked by an acquaintance to help train him so he didn’t die when he went out fighting monsters as he’s been pretty prone to do. Are you seriously this upset that Stiles has another friend of the female persuasion? Because I have to say, Lydia...you’re literally living with another man while you’re dating him and I don’t even live in this town.”

Lydia snorted, “For the record I don’t need anyone to save  _ my _ ass. And yeah, the same acquaintance who thought it would be a good idea for him to cut times with the people who love and care about him to go be some kind of emissary badass.” She snapped, a whirl of anger building inside of her. “He wouldn’t have almost died more than once if it wasn’t for your mutual friend.” Her voice was growing louder without her even realizing it. “And me living with Derek is none of your business. So what if I live here, Stiles understands, not that I need to justify myself to you.” Lydia hadn’t realized she was still so angry about the year Stiles was gone. Not at him, but at missing out on that side of things and for the missed time. 

“I was the one who kept trying to convince him to come back home because he was a kid and had a family and friends who loved him.” Braeden’s voice was starting to grow annoyed, as well, even if she wasn’t being as loud as Lydia about it. “Well, in that case, I don’t really have to justify myself or my actions to you, either, Lydia. So you enjoy the coffee.” She gave her an unimpressed look and started out of the kitchen.

Irritation sparked inside of her as Braeden started to walk out of the kitchen and Lydia turned to face her, hands finally dropping from her chest, “I’m not done yet,” she snapped jerking her arm out with every intention of grabbing the other girls’ arm to stop her from leaving. But something entirely different happened. The anger coursing through her body shoved its way out somehow turning the mostly innocent action into something not so innocent as the energy pushed out of her body and directly at Braeden knocking the other girl clear down the hallway directly in front of Stiles who was now standing there, mostly dressed. Shock filtered across Lydia’s face as she stood there staring at the scene in front of her. 

The shock on Stiles’ and Braeden’s face were echoes of her own, but Braeden recovered more quickly, getting to her feet. “You need to get your powers under control before you actually hurt someone.” There was no judgment in her voice, just honesty. She glanced back at Stiles with raised eyebrows. 

“What’s going on here?” Stiles asked warily, glancing between them and letting his gaze settle on Lydia.

Lydia swallowed hard. “Nothing,” it was an automatic response. It always was with her and clearly it wasn’t nothing. She opened her mouth  when she heard the door off to the side open her gaze shifting over to Derek who paused glancing around and taking in the room for a minute before straightening up at the heightened emotions he smelled. 

Lydia glared at him before her gaze shifted back at Stiles and she shook her head. “I was surprised. It was an accident.” She offered even as she could feel her emotions building again. She did her best to shove them down again before pursing her lips.

Braeden gave her a disbelieving look before glancing at Stiles. “We’ll talk later,” she said quietly, so Lydia couldn’t hear her before making her way past Derek and back into his bedroom, squeezing his bare arm on the way. 

Stiles pressed his own lips together as he felt Lydia’s anger, resentment, confusion, and...yes. Definite jealousy as Braeden disappeared and he drew in a breath and let it out slowly, trying to calm his own emotions. He cast a silent glance at Derek -- naked except for a pair of sweatpants -- and then shifted it back to Lydia. “An accident.”

Lydia opened her mouth, then closed it. She sighed. “I didn’t mean to--I was just trying to stop her from leaving. I didn’t mean to toss the girl across the room.” She said defensively, “That was an accident.” She repeated.

Derek’s brow lifted. “You tossed her across the room?”

Lydia shot another glare in his direction. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?” She asked not sure if she was more pissed at Braeden or Derek at the moment. Probably Derek. Braeden had no idea how Lydia felt about her, well at least she hadn’t, now she probably did. 

“She was jealous.” Stiles’ voice was quiet and this time he didn’t look at her. He didn’t look at Derek either.

Lydia’s gaze darted over to Stiles and she shook her head, her words coming out in a rush. “No, I’m not I--it’s not--Stiles that’s not what this is.” She told him a hint of panic starting to curl inside of her. 

He huffed out a quiet, humorless laugh, pushing aside the panic he felt because right now he wasn’t even sure which one of them it belonged to. “Yeah.” He nodded and scratched the back of his neck, eyes burning momentarily with tears he wasn’t about to let fall. Not now. Not in front of her, and definitely not in front of Derek. “I should get going. Big beast on the loose, right?” He didn’t look at either of them as he headed for the door.

Lydia moved towards him immediately without hesitation, “Stiles, please don’t go. I’m sorry,” she reached out, a hand curling around his arm. “It’s not what you think, I promise, please don’t shut me out,  _ please _ .” She whispered, her eyes glassy with tears. 

“You have no idea how much I’d like to believe that, but the evidence to the contrary is pretty damning right now,” he said, not meeting her eyes. And he wasn’t sure he had it in him to handle it calmly at the moment.

“Stiles, don’t you trust me?” She asked though honestly a part of her was terrified to hear the answer to that. There was so much going on inside of her, so much that she was feeling and she knew he could feel it, knew that it was probably giving him every reason not to trust her, but she needed him to. She reached for him again hoping some kind of physical contact would help, with them it always did. 

He shut his eyes, focused his breathing for a moment and didn’t pull away when she touched his arm. Then he opened his eyes again, gazed at her for a few seconds, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I think you need to figure some things out.” His voice was barely audible but he knew Derek would hear him anyway. “And I don’t think most of those things have anything to do with me.” He pressed his lips together, glancing back at Derek momentarily, then heading out the door.

Lydia watched him go and when the door closed behind him a soft sob fell from her throat. She pressed a hand to her stomach as her chest tightened, heartbeat pounding in her chest as she stared down the hallway at the closed door, not entirely sure what to do.

Derek’s eyes narrowed as Stiles left the apartment and he shook his head before moving over to Lydia and laying a hand on her arm. “You all right?”

Lydia shrugged his hand off and swallowed hard as she turned slowly to face him pressing her lips together and shaking her head. She was quiet for a minute her gaze drifting back towards the door briefly as she tried to compose herself. Her chest was tight when her eyes found Derek again. “Really?” She pointed to his room, “Beacon Hills is full of girls, like a lot of them and you bring  _ her _ home? You know how I feel about her,” she lowered her voice, “How she makes me feel.” She told him not fully able to hide the hurt in her voice. “And now Stiles is,” she paused, “he left.” She stated, which was clear since he was no longer there. Another tear slipped down her cheek and she looked down. 

“I like her,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry you were caught off guard and I should have said something before you just ran into her here, but I’m not going to apologize for liking her, Lydia.” And then he shook his head. “And Stiles left because that’s what he  _ does _ .”

Lydia shook her head, he shouldn't have to apologize for liking someone. She shouldn’t want him to. She glanced up at his words. “He doesn’t always leave,” she said as she looked up at him tears in her eyes. “He left because of me. This is my fault.” She took a step back from him. “I need to go.” She said a hitch in her voice. 

“Go where? After Stiles?” Derek asked uncertainly, shaking his head.

She brushed her hand under her eyes to wipe away the tears, but they kept falling. “No, he doesn’t want to see me. But I can’t be here. I just--he was right. This my fault and I didn’t,” her words caught in her throat and she just turned away from him and made a beeline for the front door ignoring the sound of her name being called. 

Lydia couldn’t deal with this right now. She yanked the apartment door open, not bothering to grab pants or shoes, and when it closed behind her the door shook with the force of it. She moved to the elevator, her palm slapping the button as she felt her chest tighten even more, another sob left her throat and she felt like she couldn’t breath.

When the elevator chimed and the doors slid open she stepped inside, the tile cold on her feet. She glanced over the buttons and hit the number she was looking for as she stood there tears streaming down her cheeks. Less than a minute later, though it felt a lot longer she was walking down the hallway again pausing in front of a door her small fist knocking frantically on it.

The door opened a second later and Chris Argent frowned at the sight of Lydia’s tear-stained face. “Lydia?” He reached out to rest his hands on her shoulders, worried. “What happened? Are you all right?”

Lydia shook her head and opened her mouth to tell him what happened, but the only thing that came out was disjointed words and more tears. Her body shook with the force of her sobs. “I can’t-,” she sucked in a breath, “Can I,” she closed her eyes and lifted her hands to her face not able to find the words. 

His chest tightened at the sight of her tears, and he stepped forward wordlessly and wrapped his arms around her in a hug, resting his hand on the back of her head.

Lydia leaned into the hug, wrapping an arm around him as she cried. It took a few minutes, eyes red rimmed and burning slightly, but her tears finally started to slow. She sniffled and swallowed hard, “Can I stay here for a little while?” She asked voice soft, sounding very much like the teenager she was. 

“Yeah, of course,” he answered just as quietly, hugging her a little tighter, protectively, the way he would have if she was Allison.

Lydia sniffled again and stayed like that for several minutes until her breathing finally started to calm down. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to just--sorry.” She repeated in a mumbled voice. 

“It’s all right, Lydia,” he told her, frowning at her apology. “Come inside. I’ll make some tea.”

Lydia nodded as she pulled back slightly wiping her eyes and yawning. She covered her mouth and then let out a breath. “I think I’m a little tired, would it be okay if I laid down for a bit first Mr. Argent?” It was still early and she hadn’t slept well and after the emotional rollercoaster that she was just on...she was exhausted all of a sudden. 

“Yes, of course.” He stepped aside to let her into the apartment, concern obvious on his face. He closed and locked the door behind her.

Lydia moved into the apartment and swallowed hard. “Thanks,” she replied softly as she wrapped an arm around herself. She hesitated, “Can I use Allison’s room?” She glanced up at him, chest tightening, tone quiet as she held his gaze. It was times like these where she missed her best friend, even more than she did normally. 

For a moment, he didn’t respond at all. Then he nodded slowly, pressing his lips together. “I think if she was here, she’d insist.”

Lydia sent him half a smile. “Thanks Mr. Argent,” she murmured softly hesitating for a second before making her way down the hallway and towards Allison’s bedroom. She paused in front of the door, small hand curling around the knob. She took a deep breath and pushed it open, slowly stepping inside and taking a minute to look around. It looked the same as she remembered. Lydia blew out a breath and moved further into the room shutting the door behind her. 

She didn’t bother turning on the light and instead climbed onto her best friends bed, slid the covers aside and curled up beneath them letting her eyes close as she did her best to try and let go of the tension in her body and rest. Right now all she wanted to do was lay there and sleep. Lydia knew when she got up she was going to need to deal with what happened, but for now...for now she was going to pretend her heart didn’t feel like it was breaking all over again.

______

Stiles drove around aimlessly for over an hour, smoking half a pack of cigarettes that he’d stopped to get at the gas station before finally going home. Despite how well he’d slept the previous night, with Lydia in his arms, the scene he’d woke up to pretty much assured decent sleep in the next few days was probably out of the question. It took every ounce of energy and willpower he had to shut his emotions down entirely.

Slipping back into the old familiar patterns was, in a way, like covering up with a fuzzy blanket. Feeling nothing definitely felt better than feeling panicked, and worse yet -- broken-hearted. He deliberately shifted his mind away from things involving Lydia, Derek, and even Braeden, and made his way into the house and up to his room to settle at his laptop, opening it and starting it up so he could access his monster database -- the new world version of a person’s bestiary. 

He fumbled through his desk drawer until he found his dwindled prescription bottle of Xanax, dry swallowing one down and stretching his legs out in front of him as he settled in to work, logging onto both his database and the sheriff department’s internal server with his dad’s login information.

Scott had been woken up from a dead sleep earlier by an influx of emotions he’d felt coming from Stiles, but not long after it was like everything he’d been feeling vanished and since then Scott had been anxiously waiting for his best friend to come home. He’d heard the door and the sound of Stiles making his way up the stairs, but Scott wanted to give him a minute, let him settle, but it was hard.

The alpha didn’t want to bombard his friend with questions, but the lack of his presence, or rather emotions were freaking him out a bit and Scott wasn’t exactly the type to freak out. He’d did his best to give Stiles time, but less than five minutes after his ears caught the sound of a computer starting up, he was pushing himself out of bed and running a hand through his sleep mussed hair. He walked over to the bedroom door, tugging it open and making his way into the hallway pausing at Stiles door. He hesitated before rapping lightly and clearing his throat, “Hey...you’re back early.” He commented keeping his tone light. 

Stiles looked over at his best friend, giving him a tight smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah. Work, you know?” He knew that excuse was only going to fly for about two seconds, but he didn’t want to be looking at Scott when the real story came out. He turned his head to stare intently at his laptop. “Lydia tossed Braeden across the apartment this morning with her banshee forcefield abilities.”

Scott was about to tell Stiles to try again when he continued talking. His eyes widened and he stepped into the room, “Dude, what happened? Is Braeden okay? Is Lydia?” He asked still not really sure how everything with Lydia’s abilities worked but knowing she was at least getting better at controlling them...or  _ was _ . He walked over to Stiles bed and plopped down, his eyes still on his friends back.

He pressed his lips together, giving a short nod. “Well apparently things between Derek and Braeden went a little too well last night for Lydia’s liking,” he answered.

Scott frowned, “What do you--wait,” he sat up, “Braeden spent the night.” Clearly something he should have picked up on sooner. He reached up and scratched the back of his neck as he digested Stiles’ words. “Are you sure that’s what it was? I mean we all know Lydia isn’t Braeden’s biggest fan...She doesn’t like how close you guys are.” He offered trying to ease his friend's mind. 

“Yeah, she spent the night. With Derek.” Which he wouldn’t have thought was any kind of big deal. Except it was apparently a very big deal. His fingers curled around a pen on his desk and he reluctantly swiveled around in his chair so he could finally look at Scott. “Yeah. She was jealous. Very. And it didn’t have anything to do with me. She was upset because Braeden spent the night in _Derek’s_  bed.” There was no bitterness to his tone. It was just flat. Resigned. “It’s fine. I’ll deal.” He always did. Always had. One way or another. “Meanwhile we have some kind of hellbeast running rampant and tearing people apart. That’s where my focus needs to be anyway.”

Scott’s frown deepened. Stiles wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all him. He shifted towards the edge of the bed and reached out gripping his friend's shoulder gently. “Hey, no we’re not done.” He stated as he watch the other closely. “Lydia loves you, Stiles. I’m sure there’s another explanation. She and Derek don’t--they’re not  _ in _ love.” He told him quietly. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s going on in your head since I can no longer distinguish what you’re feeling.” He said pointedly, though his tone wasn’t angry. 

“Does she?” His voice grew more quiet. “I know she says she does, but sometimes…” Stiles drew in a breath and exhaled, looking toward the window, expression distant. “She doesn’t trust me, Scott. And I get it, you know? I fucked up. I’ve been busting my ass for months trying to fix it and...maybe I just can’t make things right.” He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Derek’s been here the whole time and maybe that’s just -- what she needs.”

Scott shook his head, “I refuse to believe that. Look,” he paused, “You and Lydia...you guys, you belong together. Whatever is going on right now you guys will get through it.” He dropped his hand from Stiles’ shoulder and rested his arms on his knees when he dropped his legs to the floor. “I don’t think Lydia ever expected to get as close as she is to Derek, and yeah it’s weird.” He admitted because it was something that he had always sort of ignored because well, of Stiles. “But she loves you. I know she does. You didn’t see her while you were gone, a person doesn’t react to this kind of loss the way she did unless there’s a lot of love there.” He offered. 

“You need to tell her Stiles. You need to stop acting like you’re okay with everything and you need to tell her.” Scott hesitated, “What are you afraid of?” 

Stiles glances at Scott, lips curving upwards at the corners just a little because he has so much faith in the people around him...even if some of them don’t really deserve it sometimes. “I don’t know,” he said quietly. “A lot was going on.” Like her best friend just dying. He closed his eyes for a long moment, focusing on his breathing even as he contemplated Scott’s words. 

“How can I? What right do I have to tell her what I think about  _ anything _ she does, Scott?  _ Really _ . I left. For a  _ year _ . She didn’t. She stayed here. With you and Derek and the pack, and I’m the one who abandoned ship. I’m lucky she even acknowledges my damned existence.” He rubbed a hand over his face, feeling drained and like he just wanted to go to sleep. Probably the Xanax kicking in, he reasoned. It had been awhile since he’d had to take any of it.

Scott sighed and shook his head. “Stiles, you’re my best friend, you’re my brother if we’re being technical,” he joked, though they’d always been more like brothers anyway, “and I love you, but you’re an idiot.” He ran a hand through his hair before dropping it to the bed. “You need to forgive yourself for that dude, it happened, it’s done and you’re back. I love Lydia,” he paused, “she’s family too. But she’s not being fair to you and the sooner you let her know that, the sooner you tell her how you really feel things are going to be a lot different.” Scott told him as he shifted his arms back to his legs while leaning forward.

“How is she going to forgive you if you don’t think you deserve to be forgiven? You can’t really think she’s in love with Derek. And clearly Derek isn’t in love with her he just spent the night with Braeden.” The alpha said with half a grin. 

He tried to smile at Scott’s words, and he knew there was some truth to what his friend was saying. But it was a truth he wasn’t sure he could put into play anytime in the near future.  Maybe at the end of the day, he was just a coward. “Maybe not in love with. But she was definitely not happy that someone who wasn’t her was in his bed last night.” He pressed his lips together. 

As for Derek...he never really knew what the guy felt for Lydia or anyone else. Despite being bonded to the pack and being able to feel all of them, Stiles still struggled with getting a real read on Derek Hale most of the time. “Maybe we just need some space. You know? Give her some time to figure things out.” He blew out a breath. “At least until the next death or monster or...whatever.” Knowing Beacon Hills, it would be within the next twenty four hours anyway.

Scott’s frown was back. He didn’t agree, not even a little. Space was the last thing those two needed. “Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do, but Stiles you had a year of space. That didn’t seem to work out for either one of you too well,” he pointed out. “Stop running in the other direction, every time the two of you hit a snag it’s like you run to separate corners instead of dealing with it and you fall back into the same pattern. Ever since you got back the one thing Lydia has been worried about is you taking off again or whatever.” He shrugged.

“If you’re constantly taking a step back I mean, it’s practically pushing her back at Derek because she knows he’ll be there to pick up the pieces. And he always is because you’re not his favorite person and because he cares about her.” He was silent for a minute, “Is she angry at Derek?” He asked curiously. 

He leaned his arms on his legs, mimicking Scott’s posture. The thought of leaving hadn’t really crossed his mind, even if for a moment while he’d been driving around he’d wished he hadn’t come back at all. It had only lasted for a moment, and he knew deep down he was where he belonged, where he needed to be. Not just because of Lydia, but because of Scott. Because of his dad and Melissa. Hell, even because of Isaac. Never in a million years would he have imagined Isaac would ever be anything like a brother to him, but even though he and Isaac were nowhere as close as he and Scott, he  _ was _ like a brother -- legally and otherwise. 

“The thing is...I was right about her keeping stuff from me, Scott. She’s been having nightmares for months about the Nemeton. But she didn’t hide it from Derek,” he said softly. “I’m not -- trying to justify backing off, it’s just I’m tired. You know?” His voice dropped even more. “Everything feels like it’s an uphill battle and it’s like no matter what, I’m gonna lose  it one way or another.” And as much as he was not a defeatist when it came to the people he loved, he absolutely was when it came to accepting certain facts, and one fact he’d known since he was eight was that Lydia Martin could absolutely do better than Stiles Stilinski. Hell, put him right next to Derek and even he wouldn’t pick himself. “I’m just tired.”

Scott listened and his chest tightened at his friend's words. Worry creased his brow when Stiles mentioned the Nemeton and he pushed back the imagine of that night in the woods, because that wasn’t ever something he wanted to think about. Instead he concentrated on Stiles’ words and cocked his head to the side. “Stiles,” he paused, “You do still  _ want _ to be with Lydia...right?” He asked quietly. “You love her, don’t you?” Scott was pretty sure he did, no he was sure. But he always wanted to make sure he wasn’t pushing his friend if Stiles didn’t want to be pushed, maybe he was looking for an out. Scott didn’t think that was the case because it was Lydia for godsake, but he needed to be sure. 

A short, disbelieving noise escaped him and he looked at Scott dubiously. “Of  _ course _ I do.” He was pretty sure Scott knew the answer to that like he knew the answer to the question  _ What color is the grass? _

That made Scott grin, “Okay good, that’s what I thought. Then you need to just stop thinking space is a good thing. I have no doubt that Lydia will I don’t know call or something. So when she does, talk to her. The real kind of talking where you’re honest and not tolerating everything she does because you think that being upset with something she does is somehow going to make her bolt.” Because Scott was almost positive it was something like that. Stiles didn’t feel comfortable telling Lydia how he felt either so they were pretty much both lying to one another in a way. 

He pressed his lips together, staring at Scott for a long moment until a tiny smile touched his lips, too. It faded quickly, but it had been there for a few seconds. “Scottie?”

Scott leaned towards his friend, his expression turned serious when he saw Stiles’ smile fade. “Yeah man?” 

“She loves me, right?” His voice was barely audible and he lifted a hand to his mouth, chewing on his thumbnail.

Scott’s expression softened considerably and he reached out resting a hand on Stiles’ leg. “More than anything. Trust me.” He told him without any kind of hesitation at all. 

He held his breath and then nodded, moving out of the chair and hugging Scott tightly without another word.

Scott grinned and wrapped his arms around Stiles, hugging him back. Scott knew he wasn’t hardly any kind of relationship expert, but he hoped Stiles took his advice.

______

Derek glanced anxiously at the numbers on the elevator glaring at them slightly. It had been close to four and a half hours since Lydia bolted from the apartment without so much as a pair of shoes, her keys or pants. He’d tried calling her, but the phone just kept ringing until Cora had told him the phone was in the damn house. He’d gone out looking for her and had even called Scott to see if maybe she went to go see Stiles, but the alpha hadn’t answered.

He was worried. Braeden had taken off, though she hadn’t seemed like the happiest camper when she’d left, something else he felt bad about now. Derek sighed, fists clutching at his side as the elevator chimed. When the doors slid open he stepped into the hallway and made his ways towards the familiar apartment, pausing in front of the door and knocking with a start. It was the only place he hadn’t checked and yet it probably should have been the first.

When Chris answered the door this time, he had a mug of coffee in one hand. He arched his eyebrows at the sight of Derek, offering him a nod and stepping aside to let the younger man in. “I assume you’re here for Lydia.”

Derek stepped inside the slightest hint of relief on his face. “So she’s here, has she been here the whole time?” He asked as he slid his hands into his pockets while taking Chris in. Yeah, he definitely should have looked here first. 

“Either you’re very tired or your werewolf senses aren’t as keen as they used to be.” His humor was rare and wry, but it was there occasionally. “She’s been here since earlier this morning.” He paused, glancing down the hall. “In Allison’s room.”

Derek grunted. He deserved that. His morning hadn’t exactly gone as planned and he was clearly distracted. He nodded as he glanced in the direction Chris was looking. He pursed his lips, chest tightening the slightest bit at the other man’s words. “I’m going to go talk to her real quick,” he looked back at Chris, “That alright?” 

Chris reached out and patted his back before turning and heading for the kitchen to get back to working on fixing lunch. “Yeah. That’s fine.”

Derek watched him go before shuffling down the hallway and pausing at Allison’s door. He lifted a hand and knocked lightly.

Lydia shifted and glanced at the door. She’d woken up a while ago, but hadn’t gotten out of bed just yet. She was still a little tired, but mostly she was overanalyzing everything and wondering how exactly she was going to fix things with Stiles. She sighed, “It’s open,” she called out quietly figuring it was Mr. Argent. He had mentioned something about making food a bit ago, which she was grateful for. 

Derek stepped into the room and looked over to where she was lying on Allison’s bed. “Hey,” he greeted, voice quiet.

Lydia glanced up at the sound of Derek’s voice and she shifted into a sitting position almost immediately, her back resting against the headboard as she ran a hand through her hair. “Hey,” she replied just as quietly.  She was silent for a minute as she tapped her fingers over the blanket. “What are you doing here?”

“Coming to check on you. See if you were all right,” he admitted, leaning against the wall and gazing at her intently.

Lydia nodded. “I’m okay.” She replied before letting out a breath and stretching her legs back out under the covers. She hesitated, “I’m sorry about this morning.” She offered, her tone light. 

“Me too.” He offered her a tiny smile, then drew in a breath and exhaled slowly. “I have a feeling there’s a _but_ coming.”

Lydia opened her mouth and then paused not quite sure how to explain what she was feeling. “I mean there’s not a but, just. I guess, well I--” she huffed. “I guess I was angry. I’ve been going over this morning for hours and I reacted emotionally instead of rationally I guess.” She pressed her lips together. “Was she mad?” 

“Well, you did throw her across the hallway,” he replied, eyes crinkling in the corners as he tried not to smirk. “She’ll be fine.”

Lydia bit her bottom lip. “She was using my coffee mug...but again as I said earlier I didn’t mean to throw her across the room. That was clearly a miscalculation on my part.” A miscalculation she had gotten zero satisfaction out of...mostly. “So, is that a thing now, the two of you?” She asked with an arched brow. 

Derek cocked his head to the side as if considering the question for a long moment. “I don’t know. I like her.” He was attracted to her. But he also had a relatively bad history with getting too involved with the wrong people, Lydia possibly the only person who didn’t fit that pattern. “I don’t know if it’s going to lead to anything or not. I kinda get the impression she doesn’t tend to stay in one place for very long.”

Lydia watched him as he spoke and she nodded. She pulled her legs up and rested her arms across them. “It’s been awhile since you’ve liked someone,” she said lightly. “Having me around probably hasn’t exactly made finding someone easy,” she joked swallowing hard. “But you deserve to be happy.” 

He pressed his lips together. It had been awhile since he’d liked anyone the way he liked Braeden. “It hasn’t been at the top of my priority list in general,” he said honestly. “You’re not to blame, Lydia.”

“I know that.” She sent him half a smile and reached forward a little and patted the bed. “Afraid I’m going to toss you across the room too?” She asked a hint of humor in her gaze. “About this morning, you know what Stiles said it wasn’t true. I mean not in the way he thinks anyway.  _ You  _ know that right?” 

Derek smirked at her and moved to sit down on the bed beside her. “You mean do I think you’re in love with me? No. I’ve never thought that.” He gave her an amused look.

She rolled her eyes and kicked him gently with her foot. “No, I know you don’t think that. I meant me being jealous.” She replied, “But it’s good to know where your head's at.” She joked feeling a bit more relaxed. “I wasn’t jealous although my boyfriend seems convinced I was...and I get it. I reacted really bad. And it’s because I’m so used to having you all to myself. I’m used to being able to count on you and I guess it scared me.” She said with a shrug. 

“For so long it’s been us. And I guess a part of me realized if you brought her home, you really liked her which I don’t know had me somehow thinking you’d take off and follow little miss gun for hire to parts unknown, which by the way is absolutely something you don’t need any kind of permission to do.” She shook her head. “Again it was bad reaction. And the thing is I shouldn't have reacted that way. But I did.” She replied quietly. “And that tells me that maybe, Stiles was right.” 

He frowned at that, shaking his head a little. “Right about what, exactly?”

Lydia reached out and rested a hand on his arm. “I rely on you too much.” She replied quietly. “If something is wrong, I go to you. And you always make it better. And I let you instead of going to the person who I should be sharing things with.” She explained. “And in doing that how could I fault Stiles for thinking the worst this morning? You are my first call for everything Derek.”

Derek searched her face as she spoke. “Yeah, but it makes sense, given everything that’s happened,” he pointed out.

Lydia’s expression softened and she squeezed his arm gently. “It does make sense, but I think maybe, I’m not the only one who has gotten a little too used to this.” She offered softly. “You and I, we have a good rhythm. I don’t even think you understand how much you’ve helped me over the last almost two years now. You probably mean a lot more to me than you should.” Her tone was soft as she glanced down. “But if I don’t give Stiles the chance to be there Derek, the way I always readily let you be there, he’s going to end things. I can feel it. And what kind of relationship are you going to be able to have with Braeden if you’re constantly putting me first? I mean take this morning for example, what exactly did you say to her after what happened?” She inquired with an arched brow. 

He was silent for a long moment, listening to what she was saying and sighing a little, looking away and nodding. “That I had to make sure you were all right,” he admitted.

Lydia lifted a brow, knowing that was what he would have said, because he was Derek. “How’d she take that?” She inquired. 

“Not well. But I think she understood.” He shrugged.

She nodded. “That’s what I’m forever saying about Stiles. That he understands why I always come to you first, that he understands why I need you.” Lydia sighed, “But I think a part of me has always known that wasn’t true. I just wasn’t hearing it until now.” She admitted as she tapped his hand with her finger lightly. 

“I think he does understand it,” Derek told her, arching an eyebrow as he glanced at her. “But I think he hates it, too.”

Lydia shrugged, “Maybe, but either way I’m not being fair to him. I love him. I need to let him in.” She blew out a breath and glanced down. “I think I should move out.” She said quietly. 

For a moment he was silent and then he nodded. “You’re going to see about staying here with Argent.”

Lydia sent him half a smile. “You know me too well,” she joked lightly. “If he’ll let me. I don’t really have anywhere else to go.” She admitted, “Plus I don’t want to go too far. I still kind of like having you in my orbit,” she joked with a chuckle. “But I think...I think this will be good for both of us.” 

“I’ll still be in your orbit. You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Derek assured her.

Lydia nodded. “Good,” she hesitated and squeezed his arm gently, “I’m always here if you need me too.” She offered with a smile. “And it’s getting late. I need to go talk to Stiles.” She said with a frown.  

He met her eyes and offered her a smile before leaning over and kissing her cheek. Then he rose to his feet. “For what it’s worth, I have no doubt Chris will be glad to have you here.”

Lydia nodded, "I hope so,” she said softly as she watched him get up. “Hey,” she pushed the covers off, got up and walked over to him. She pushed herself up on her toes and hugged him. “Thanks,” she murmured, “You know I love you...right?” She asked the words barely a whisper knowing he’d hear them anyway. It wasn’t something she’d ever said out loud and it clearly wasn’t the kind of love she had for Stiles, but Derek would always hold a place in her heart that was very much just for him, just like Allison would. 

Derek hugged her back, holding her close for a minute before reluctantly letting her go again. “You too. Now go fix things with the idiot.” 

Lydia chuckled lightly and smiled when he released her. “My idiot,” she replied as she squeezed his arm gently and nudged him towards the bedroom door. “After I talk to him, I’ll come by to get my stuff.” She said while walking him towards the bedroom. 

“All right. Good luck,” he told her sincerely, nodding his head at her before he moved toward the door. He may have issues with Stiles, but it wasn’t like he hated the kid. Plus he wanted Lydia to be happy. She deserved to be happy. 


	9. Chapter 9

Lydia sat in her car staring at the McCall-Stilinski house. Her stomach was filled with nerves and if she was being honest it was possible she’d circled around the block twice before actually parking in front of the house. She was scared. She knew she needed to talk to Stiles, but she was afraid he wouldn’t believe anything she said when it came to Derek. And really the only person she could blame for that was herself.

The strawberry blonde took a deep breath and let it out slowly before gripping her keys tightly and pushing open the car door. She closed it behind her and made her way up the front steps to the door, running her free hand over the dress she wore, a nervous habit. Lydia paused in front of the door, swallowed heavily and raised a hand, knocking lightly. 

A moment later the door opened and Scott’s shoulders relaxed as he stepped aside to let her in. “I’m glad you came,” he said quietly, closing the door behind them and locking it once more. 

Lydia lifted a brow at Scott, as she tilted her head slightly studying him for a minute. “Did you think I wouldn’t?” She asked quietly.

“No. I thought you would. I just...wasn’t sure how soon it would be,” he admitted awkwardly. He hesitated for a moment. “I tried to tell him it isn’t what he thinks, but I’m not sure it’s enough just coming from me, you know?” 

Lydia’s chest tightened at his words and she nodded. She opened her mouth and then paused gathering her words as the familiar stirrings of anxiety came back in the pit of her stomach. “Honestly, I’m not sure it’ll be enough coming from me either.” She replied doing her best to keep her voice steady. 

Scott winced at that and looked down for a moment. He wanted the two of them to fix this because they were both miserable without each other -- he knew that much and it had only been a few hours. He glanced toward the stairs and then back at her. “He loves you. So much,” he whispered, not wanting to chance Stiles or anyone else overhearing him -- even if that part was far from a secret. “But he hasn’t forgiven himself for...things and...it’s harder to reach him than it used to be.”

Lydia reached out a hand and gripped Scott’s arm squeezing it gently. “I know,” she responded just as quietly, “And that’s what scares me. I don’t want to lose him again.” She knew he hadn’t exactly forgiven himself and maybe a part of her had been afraid to forgive him fully too. But now...she was ready to put it all behind her and just start fresh. She let out a breath, “Is he here?” She asked glancing towards the stairs where Scott had glanced before. 

He reached up and took her hand, squeezing it when she squeezed his arm. He knew she didn’t want to lose Stiles again anymore than Scott does, or his dad, or any of them. One way or another, they had to keep that from happening. And if there was one person who could pull it off, it was the banshee in front of him. “Yeah. He’s working the case.” He exhaled, meeting her eyes and trying to smile but not quite managing it. When Stiles threw himself into work mode, it meant things were about to get really serious really fast...in more ways than one. 

Lydia knew what that meant. She pressed her lips together. “I’m going to go talk to him,” because if she didn’t she might actually implode from the emotions currently swirling around inside of her. She needed to make this right. She patted his hand gently and then stepped towards the stairs before hesitating and glancing over at the alpha. “I can right, he won’t be upset to see me?” She asked softly. 

Scott offered her an encouraging smile. “Lydia...the day Stiles is upset to see you is the day I’ll become a master chef,” he said meaningfully. “And you know how well I cook.” And by that she might remember the time he nearly burned down the house by having a Hot Pocket in the microwave for too long. 

Half a smile tugged at her lips. “Yes, I’ve seen that catastrophe. Let’s never repeat it.” She added the slightest hint of amusement in her voice. She turned back to the stairs and slowly made her way up them attempting to organize her thoughts on the way. But as soon as Lydia hit the landing and spotted Stiles’ door she couldn’t see to find any of the words she’d just been so carefully choosing. The strawberry blonde stared at the door for a good minute and a half before pushing herself forward and knocking on the bedroom door, not wanting to just burst in.

“Come in,” he said, not glancing up from where he stood in front of his white board, jotting down the words _Nemeton_  and _body #1_.

Lydia hesitated less than a second before pushing the door open and quietly stepping inside his room. She shut the door behind her for privacy knowing full well Scott would be able to hear them regardless, Isaac too if he was actually home. “Hey,” her voice was soft, unsure. 

Stiles paused mid-word and drew in a breath, holding it as he turned to glance at her. “Hey,” he said, sounding just as uncertain as she does. He slowly sets his dry erase marker down.

Lydia watched his movements and she let out a short breath. “I was hoping we could talk.” She stepped forward and pointed towards his bed, “Can I sit?” 

He glanced behind her, half expecting Derek to be lurking in the hallway. Then he shifted his gaze back to her face before nodding and moving to sit down at his desk chair. “Yeah. Of course.” His voice was quiet. He was pretty sure he knew what was coming and he was trying to brace himself for it. His fingers itched to reach out and pick up one of the cigarettes lying on his desk.

She saw the way he glanced behind her and she couldn’t stop the way her chest constricted. She swallowed heavily and walked over to his bed sitting down stiffly. Lydia hated this, she was barely feeling anything from him, but his posture, the look on his face...none of it seemed promising. The strawberry blonde pushed away her nerves and focused on the task at hand. “What happened this morning,” she started because really there wasn’t any reason to beat around the bush, “Stiles, it wasn’t what you think.”

He struggled to keep his expression neutral as he focused his gaze on her, letting his hands rest in his lap. Maintaining neutrality with the only girl he’d ever loved wasn’t exactly an easy task to accomplish. “I’m listening.”

Lydia pressed her lips together, clearly this was going to have to be one of those times she did most of the talking. “I know I reacted...bad, but it’s not because, I don’t,” she paused, “I’m not in love with Derek, Stiles. You have to know that,” she stated quietly. “I’ve never loved him, not like that.” 

Stiles forced himself to take another deep breath, because there was nothing he wanted more than to believe that. “So what happened this morning then?” he asked, voice quiet as he dropped his gaze to the floor because right now looking at her kind of hurt.

“I was jealous.” She offered. “Look I know this is going to sound bad, but just let me finish before you say anything…” Lydia shifted on the bed her hand clutching around the edge of her skirt as she focused on staying outwardly calm despite the fact that she was terrified she had already ruined things beyond repair with Stiles.

“For the better part of two years now, I’ve come to really count on Derek and I’ve been the only person in his life for a long time. Braeden...she makes me really insecure okay?” Lydia glanced down at her hands, “She knows this whole part about you that I don’t and I know she isn’t here a lot, but when she is it kind of feels like you’d rather work with her to figure things out than with me. And I’ve never said anything about it before because, well because I know a lot of the times I do the same things with Derek, so I didn’t feel like I had any right to say anything.” She said quietly.

She glanced up, “He knows how I feel about her, how she makes me feel. And the fact that he brought her home anyway...it means he really cares about her and that scared me. Because I’ve grown attached to him and what if he left...like you did. I just,” she hesitated, “I handled the situation really bad Stiles and I’m sorry.” She whispered, “But believe it or not, something good came out of this.” 

He listened intently, staring down at the carpet as she spoke. He wasn’t sure how to feel about anything she was saying. He’d known Lydia hadn’t really been Braeden’s biggest fan, but he hadn’t thought it had been a jealousy thing at all. He didn’t point out or even agree that she does the same thing with Derek on a pretty frequent basis, but he nodded slightly. So it was still mostly about Derek and being afraid Braeden would somehow take him away from her. But it was because Derek was her main source of support, the one she always turned to when things got bad, and not because she was in love with him. 

He wasn’t seeing anything good about any of it, so he remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

When he didn’t say anything Lydia hesitated before slowly reaching out to him, giving him a chance to pull away if he wanted to. She rested a hand on his knee. “You were right,” she said softly. “Derek and I...we’re too close.” She pursed her lips, “I didn’t see it before. I didn’t think there was anything wrong with our relationship. And I’m sorry for that. I’m sorry I always go to him first. I’m sorry that even after we got back together it was like there were still three of us in this relationship.” Her chest tightened and she glanced down eyes burning slightly. “I think we just got a little too comfortable with the way things were. It was easy. Going to Derek was easier than opening myself up to you again and letting you be that person again.”

Lydia inhaled a shaky breath. “I was a mess when you left,” she admitted, “and I’m not saying that to make you feel bad or to guilt trip you or anything like that. I just, we’ve lacked that trust since you’ve been back and I know that’s my fault. But Stiles, if you give me another chance I promise I’ll let you in...all the way.” She told him finally glancing up at him and doing her best not to let the tears in her eyes fall. That wasn’t why she was there. 

He was silent for another long moment, trying to figure out how to respond to what she was saying. He hated that she was on the verge of crying. He didn’t have to look at her to know she was teary-eyed. He knew her too well, and he could hear it in her voice. “I know.” His voice is soft. Only audible because she’s sitting right there. “I’ve always understood it, Lydia. I get it. It’s why I’ve never said anything,” he confessed. 

“I know why things have turned out the way they have, and it isn’t your fault.” He hesitated for a moment, then rubbed a hand over his face tiredly. “And it’s not like I want you to not...be friends with Derek. I wouldn’t ever tell you who you can and can’t be friends with. I’m not that guy.”

Lydia nodded. “I know you’re not,” she squeezed his knee gently, “but I wish you wouldn’t have been uncomfortable saying something about it to me. Stiles I love you, I don’t want to constantly be the source of any kind of pain for you,” she replied, her voice low. “I talked to Derek earlier. I let him know that it’s time things changed a little bit.” She offered. 

At that, he finally glanced up at her, pursing his lips together. “What does that mean?” he asked uncertainly. 

“It means I told Derek I think it would be a good idea if I moved in with Mr. Argent.” She glanced down and brushed a hand over the skirt of her dress. “He said he’s okay with it...that I can have Allison’s room.” Lydia glanced up a hint of uncertainty on her face as she glanced at Stiles meeting his gaze for the first time and not entirely sure how to read the expression on his face. “I told Derek I need to give you a chance to be there for me the way he’s always there. I mean, if you still want that.” She added quietly, as nervous flutters filled her stomach. 

Stiles blinked a couple of times, then shook his head, truly surprised -- to the point that she can probably feel it. “Lydia, you don’t have to  move somewhere else to make me feel better,” he began.

Lydia shook her head. “This isn’t for you,” she told him without hesitation. “It’s for me. I need to be able to stand on my own two feet and I’m never going to be able to do with with Derek two doors away.” She sent him half a smile, “He’ll never turn me away, even this morning he came looking for me after what happened and I can’t imagine Braeden was happy about that.” She sighed. “I want him to be happy, I want him to be able to find someone and love them as much as I love you.” She said keeping her tone light. “And that isn’t going to happen if we don’t take this step back. I can see that now. I was so out of control this morning that I threw Braeden across the room without even a touch. I didn’t realize,” she shrugged and glanced down tugging at a small string on her skirt.

He fell silent, studying her to try and decide whether she was really being honest -- with him and with herself. Of _course_  Derek had gone looking for her. He squashed the thought immediately because it was stupid. It wasn’t like he didn’t want Lydia to have the kind of friends that would look after her when she needed friends around. He struggled for a long moment, taking a breath and releasing it slowly. “So you’re moving in with Chris?”

Lydia nodded. “Yes.” She replied trying to read his expression and mildly upset with the fact that she couldn’t. “Stiles, I really need you to tell me what you’re thinking. Because I have no idea.” Her heart clenched as she held his gaze, “Did I ruin this? Do you not want to be with me anymore?” The words were a whisper and she broke their gaze looking away from him to hide a stray tear that slid down her cheek. 

He felt like he’d been kicked in the gut. He rose to his feet and moved to sit down beside her on the bed, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight hug. “No,” he whispered. “I mean, of course I still want to be with you, Lydia. No, you didn’t ruin anything.” His throat tightened and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He was the one who was doing that all by himself.

She turned into him immediately wrapping her arms tightly around him as relief rushed through her. “Good because I’m not sure what I’d do without you.” She admitted tightening her hold on him even more. “I’m sorry for this morning, and few the last few months. For keeping things from you. I promise that’s not going to happen anymore.” 

He buried his face in her hair, breathing her in and squeezing his eyes shut. “I love you,” he whispered. “I’ve always loved you, Lydia. _Just_  you.” He reached up, tangling a hand in her hair and carefully pulling away so he could look at her. “Before the nogitsune...when I was gone, now. You’re the only woman I’ve ever loved.” His voice is soft, sincere.

Lydia’s expression softened and she reached up and cupped his cheek. “I love you too,” she slid her other hand down and rested it against his heart. “For a lot longer than you might have realized. I was scared though, because what I felt for you then and what I feel for you now...it was stronger than anything I’ve felt before. Different, I knew it was different and if I let it in, it would consume me and that terrified me at the time. But doesn’t anymore.” Lydia brushed her thumb against his cheek. “You’re stuck with me, always. You and me Stiles, this is it. You’re it.” She whispered. 

Stiles held his breath at her words and swallowed heavily before resting his hand over hers on his chest. Wordlessly, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, lifting his other hand to cup her cheek as he unconsciously let the connection between them open once more, letting her feel the depth of his feelings for her because he didn’t think words could ever really express them.

Lydia leaned into him returning the kiss as warmth surged through her and just like that she could feel him again and it made happiness fill her. She shifted closer to him deepening the kiss, putting everything she felt into it, wanting him to know what he meant to her without a doubt. It was the first time in awhile it felt like there were no walls between them. 

______

 

Michael Stilinski leaned back in the chair at his desk, picking up his cup of coffee with one hand and cradling the phone to his ear with the other. He was taking a short break from going over files because he knew Melissa was supposed to be on her break, as well, and he tried to call her at least once each evening he worked. “So I was thinking that we should have a standing date night,” he announced as she came to the phone.

Melissa was slipping the last of a patient's paperwork into their file, phone between her shoulder and ear, a slight grin tugging at her lips at Michael’s words. She liked that every time they were working nights he always made a point to call her and check in. “A standing date night? That seems like an interesting thought.” She replied as she put the file back in the cabinet. “The real question though is would we actually be able to keep said date night with the way things are going lately.” She replied finally gripping the phone in her hand and nodding to the other nurse letting her know she was going to take her break.

He paused at that, making a face at the question because she was unfortunately right. The likelihood of being able to make a standing date night work in the midst of the supernatural drama that plagued Beacon Hills seemed relatively small. He sighed, tapping his pencil on his desk. “Well, maybe not the same night every week. Obviously we’d have to be flexible with the way things are in this town.” And between his job and hers, considering they both tended to get called in for extra shifts on a regular basis.

Melissa paused once she was in the break room and leaned against the counter, his sigh making her chest tighten slightly. “I’m good with flexible. And I’m also off tomorrow night. What’s your schedule looking like? Anymore news about the crime scene?” She asked keeping her tone light. She knew Scott and Stiles had spent Friday night buried in books and they hadn’t really found out any new information. 

His expression changes to something more grim at that question. “Yeah. There was more than one blood type found when forensics ran their analysis,” he admitted. “We may be dealing with more than one death and we just haven’t located more bodies yet.” He hoped he was wrong and that there was some other explanation for that. 

Melissa’s smile disappeared at the information and she pushed herself away from the counter and walked over to a chair, sitting down. She sighed, hating the thought that things were spiralling out of control again but knowing that this was the kind of thing that happened in their world. “Have you told Stiles? He and Scott were pouring over the books Braeden brought with her, but no luck yet. I’m worried about them, Isaac too. Everyone really.” She admitted honestly. 

“No. Not yet. The analysis just came back a couple hours ago and I have it on good authority that the boys are taking the night off research and relaxing.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “I’ll talk to them when I get home tonight, but until then I didn’t see any point in telling them without knowing anymore, you know?” He was worried about them, too. He hated that their kids -- who were still in <i>high school</i>, had to deal with this kind of thing on a regular basis.

Melissa nodded even though Michael couldn’t see her. “Good they could use a night off and yeah, let’s not worry them for now.” She tapped her fingers on the table and smiled. “Since the kids are taking the night, maybe we should too. What do you say to a movie when we get off tonight, it shouldn’t be too late.” Their lives were hectic, but Melissa always wanted to make sure they had time for each other in the middle of it all. 

At that, some of his own tension melted away. He was so glad to have Melissa. He was even more glad they were usually on the same page when it came to the kids and the world of the supernatural. “I think that sounds great,” he agreed, smile tugging at his mouth. “What do you want to see?”

It was practically like she could hear some of the tension in his voice leave and that made her smile deepen. “I think I saw an ad for a new comedy, could be nice to have a few laughs.” She suggested. 

“Sounds great,” he told her with a soft smile. He caught movement just outside his office and lifted his gaze to see Lydia hovering outside the door, carrying a bag. “One of our future daughter in law’s is here.”

Melissa chucked at that. “I’m going to guess it’s Lydia since I don’t think Cora or Kira visit the station often.” She replied lightly a grin on her face as she leaned back in her seat. “Things seem to be going a bit better with her and Stiles, I’m glad.” She offered.

Lydia waved when she spotted the sheriff on the phone. “Sorry,” she whispered, “I can wait.” She told him lightly not sure if he was on an important call or not. 

He waved at her to come in, giving her a warm smile. “You guessed correctly. And if I’m not mistaken, she brought me dinner. I knew I liked her for a reason,” he joked.

Lydia smiled and came into his office. “I did,” she answered as she walked over to his desk and placed the bag down.

Melissa could hear her over the phone and she smiled. “Hopefully she brought you something healthy, there better not be any curly fries in sight.” She said sternly, but there was a smile on her face. 

  
“I’m sure there aren’t,” he responded wryly. “I’ll pick you up at the hospital after your shift, and we’ll go see that movie?”

Melissa shook her head but there was a smile on her face. “That sounds perfect,” she replied softly her expression soft. I’ll see you later, love you.”

Lydia angled her head to the side and listened as the sheriff told Melissa he loved her and disconnected the call. She smiled and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. “Sorry about interrupting your conversation. I thought I’d stop by, make sure you ate...checked in you know.” She told him keeping her tone light. But the truth was for the past few hours she’d been getting that feeling...the one that said something was very wrong.

Michael Stilinski offered her a small, warm smile and a nod as he picked up the bag she’d set down. “Not a problem. And I appreciate the food, assuming it’s not a veggie burger or tofu,” he joked, giving her a meaningful look.

Lydia returned the smile, “Sure and no. I opted for the grilled chicken, it’s healthier,” she added as she glanced around the office briefly and then sat in the chair in front of the sheriff's desk. “And they had some sweet potato fries, I thought you could give those a try.” She offered as she rested her hands on her knees. 

He perked up a little at that, nodding his approval. Chicken definitely rated a lot higher than tofu or veggie burgers. He was pretty sure sometimes Stiles wanted him dead sooner rather than later with the crap he tried to feed him. He pulled the sandwich out and looked curiously at the sweet potato fries, considering for a moment. “Everything going okay?” 

Lydia’s eyes had been on his hands watching him unpack the food until he spoke. Her gaze darted up eyebrow arching before she nodded. “Yeah, I just,” she paused and shrugged, “everything is good. Just had a little free time after moving my things over to Mr. Argent’s and I know Scott and Stiles are spending some time together so I didn’t want to bother them.” She explained, which was absolutely the truth. But she had also been drawn to the sheriff's station and she wasn’t sure why, which honestly was never really a good thing.

He watched her for a moment, then nodded, feeling like there was more to the story, but not wanting to push her either. He just hoped it wasn’t something to be too worried about, like something about Stiles or Melissa or Scott or Isaac. He took a bite of the sandwich, chewed and pushed the sweet potato fries toward her. “Want one?”

Lydia reached out and took one sending a smile in his direction as she bit into it. She chewed and swallowed before speaking. “Thanks.” Her brows drew together slightly and she leaned forward in her seat. “How are things going with the investigation? Any news on the victim at the gas station?” 

Michael didn’t respond for a long moment, trying one of the fries and avoiding her gaze. “No, nothing new yet.” If he wasn’t going to tell the boys yet, he wasn’t going to tell Lydia yet either. They were all still just kids and he wanted to keep things as normal as possible for as long as possible -- and he already knew it wasn’t going to be very long.

Lydia angled her head to the side when he avoided her gaze, but she said nothing and nodded. She opened her mouth, but paused when the anxiety she’d been feeling earlier was back in full force. She swallowed hard. “Sheriff, I think it might be a good idea if we went out for a bit. Maybe take a break.” She suggested. “The deputies too.” 

He slowly lifted his gaze to look at her, about to ask her what was going on when he suddenly heard loud commotion in the lobby of the station. He quickly rose to his feet, laying a hand on her shoulder briefly as he made his way toward the door. “Stay put,” he told her firmly, reaching for his service weapon.

Lydia pursed her lips and stood, not listening to his words. “Sheriff don’t,  _ please _ .” The words were quiet, but the urgency in them was clear. She stepped away from the chair, the fear, anxiety and a desperate need to protect Stiles’ father all welling up inside of her. She shifted forward so she was beside the sheriff in time to see a deputy get tossed across the room and slam into the wall by a very large and very scary looking berserker. Her hand jerked out and she gripped the sheriff’s arm all the while thinking she should have said something sooner, she shouldn’t have wasted so much time.

“Is that one of those berserkers?” he asked, glancing at her sideways and not moving away from her. 

Lydia nodded, “Yes, I’m going with yes.” She replied as the sound of gunfire hit her ears. Her gaze shifted to the officers behind the desk and she swallowed hard, “that’s not going to work.” She whispered.

Sheriff Stilinski muttered a curse beneath his breath before looking toward the window. Wordlessly he reached out and grabbed her arm, shutting the door and pulling the blind before tugging her over to the window. “Go through the window,” he said in hushed tones. 

Lydia shook her head, “I’m not leaving you,” her response was immediate. There was no way she was leaving Stiles’ dad and an entire sheriff’s department full of people to die. There was another crash outside the office and she winced, “We need to draw it outside away from everyone. We can’t just-” her words were interrupted by a chair crashing through the office window, glass shattering, making a startled sound fall from her throat.

“Lydia,” he started to argue, moving to stand in front of her as glass flew. He grimaced, raising his weapon at the monster and wishing suddenly that he had something more rocket-like and less bullet-wielding for a weapon. 

Lydia’s eyes widened slightly seeing it up close and when the sheriff shifted in front of her pointing his gun at it, her chest tightened. She heard it growl and when it started moving towards the sheriff, the strawberry blonde stepped forward, “No,” she focused on using her fear and the other emotions inside of her to push a barrier between them and the berserker. When it smacked into it, the creature paused momentarily disoriented before it growled again, louder this time and banged against it with it’s bone covered hand.

Sheriff’s eyes widened when the creature suddenly came up against some kind of invisible wall. He glanced sideways at Lydia. He’d known of course, about her ability. He’d just never seen this part of it in action before. “How long can you hold it?” 

Lydia shook her head. “I’m not going to hold it,” she replied as she stepped forward eyes narrowing at the creature. “I’m going kill it.” She hoped anyway. She tried to remember how she was feeling when she was with Chris, when she used her abilities to knock him down. Lydia took a breath and lifted her hands shoving the energy forward, eyes widening slightly when it actually worked knocking the creature back into the other room.

He startled both at her words, and when the beast went hurtling backwards into the main part of the station. He remembered what Stiles had told him, about how she’d _died_  the last time she’d used these abilities and he wanted to tell her to stop, but he also couldn’t help but think she was their only shot for getting through this with _any_ survivors. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, shooting a quick text to both Scott and Stiles, even though he didn’t want them walking into the middle of this. He knew this was how the pack functioned: together. Facing the danger ahead as a unit. 

Lydia moved forward, not catching what the sheriff was doing as she stepped out into the main room, anger burning in her chest as the berserker started getting up. “You’re not killing anyone here today.” She stated not sure if it could understand her, but either way she didn’t care. Her heart beat heavily in her chest and she lifted her hands again shoving another wave of energy at it, and tossing in across the room. Lydia felt the slightest of twinge in her chest, but she ignored it, it didn’t feel like last time, she was okay, she could do this.

She continued moving towards the berserker as the deputies and officers stood there unsure of what to do, but her eyes never left the creature in front of her. The closer she got, the heavier the emotions built in her chest. She could feel it, right on the tip of her tongue, a scream.

Sheriff Stilinski followed behind her closely, keeping the gun leveled at the berserker’s head, phone back behind him on his desk now. His heart was pounding hard in his chest as he tried to come up with some kind of backup plan for if whatever Lydia was trying to do didn’t work. He motioned for a couple of deputies to get down and out of the way, not sure how this was going to play out yet. 

Lydia could hear movement behind her, but she was solely focused on the thing in front of her. It started to move towards her, but it barely got an inch before the scream that had been building inside of her was released, the sound of it echoing around the small station and making the berserker drop to his knees with a heavy thud, shaking the ground beneath their feet. She could feel something wet beneath her nose, but she didn’t stop screaming, not yet instead she somehow managed to focus the energy directly at the berserker, making it lift it’s head and roar in pain. 

Seconds later the bone covered skull shattered startling Lydia and making her scream come to an abrupt halt as the berserkers body collapsed into a pile of bones. The banshee stood there for a solid minute, mouth slightly agape as she reached up with a shaky hand and wiped the blood from beneath her nose. She did it. She  _ killed _ it.

Sheriff Stilinski lowered his weapon, staring momentarily at the pile of bones on the office floor and then letting his gaze shift to the girl his son had been in love with since the third grade. At the sight of the blood trickling from her nose, he reached into his jacket and retrieved a handkerchief, holding it out to her, worry in his eyes. “I don’t know what just happened, but I think you should probably sit down.” 

Lydia glanced over at the sheriff and swallowed hard, nodding as she went to take a step towards him and reached for the handkerchief, her movements  slow as a wave of dizziness hit her, making her stumble. 

He moved quickly, wrapping his arms around her to keep her from falling to the floor. “Like I said. Time to sit down,” he murmured, moving her over toward a chair and carefully guiding her into it. He wasn’t paying attention to the commotion and chaos all over the station. The sound was just background noise for him. “You all right there, Lydia?” 

She nodded, “Yes,” she replied, voice hoarse, the sounds filling the station as people moved around cleaning up and undoubtedly trying to figure out what the hell happened sounding muffled to her ears. “We should,” she paused her hand lifting to her chest and she frowned slightly rubbing the area for a moment before the pain eased, “call Stiles.” she finished.

His dark eyes were full of warm concern. “He and Scott are already on the way,” he told her, reaching out and picking up her wrist, checking her pulse. “I’m gonna call Melissa, too.” 

Lydia closed her eyes, “I’m okay,” she repeated trying to ignore the ache in her chest and the nausea curling in her stomach. She’d done something wrong again. Deaton told her if she used her abilities the right way it shouldn’t affect her like this, and yet she could feel how shaky she was, how drained. But at least she’d helped people and Stiles’ dad was safe. So it was worth it. It would always be worth it to save someone’s life.

“You better be,” he warned, tone serious. Firm but gentle. “Because I have it on official record that if anything happened to you, my son would literally go out of his mind.”

Lydia’s lip twitched at the sheriff’s words and she swallowed heavily, her hand gripping the side of the chair. She nodded, “I think I’ve heard that before,” she replied lightly trying to will her stomach to ease. She was exhausted and her chest hurt. The sounds around her still seemed a bit muffled, but she was pretty sure her nose had stopped bleeding so that had to be a good thing at least. 

“Don’t go to sleep,” he told her quietly. “Keep your eyes open for me, all right?”

Lydia nodded, even though she was having a hard time doing that. She took a second to glance around the room slowly. “Is everyone okay?” And how exactly were they going to explain what just happened to everyone? 

Truthfully he didn’t know if everyone was okay but he offered her a reassuring smile and nod. “Yeah.”

Lydia swallowed heavily in an attempt to moisten her throat, “Good,” she closed her eyes for a second before prying them open, “Maybe we should go,” she suggested as she shifted in the chair. “Meet Stiles and Scott or are they already coming?” She knew the sheriff said he told them and maybe it was just her at the moment, but she felt like she’d been sitting there a lot longer than she probably had. 

“They’re already on their way. They should be here any minute,” he assured her, glancing over at the door. “Speaking of…” He nodded toward the two boys who were entering the station with matching horrified expressions on their faces. 

“Dad!” Stiles’s voice was urgent and he quickly made his way over to where he sat with Lydia, eyes widening at the sight of the blood on her shirt and how pale her face was. “What happened?” 

Lydia glanced over at the sound of Stiles voice and spotted Scott behind him surveying the scene a mixture of horror and confusion on his face. “Everything’s fine,” she replied hoarsely.

Michael frowned and shook his head at Stiles. “I think maybe the two of you should take Lydia to see Melissa while I get things straightened out here.” He explained, keeping his tone calm though the worry was clear on his face. 

Scott finally made his way over to them and lifted a brow, “Where is it? Did it leave?” He asked voice laced with uncertainty as his gaze fell on Lydia causing a frown to tug at his lips.

“Not exactly,” Michael responded, arching his eyebrows as he looked from Scott to Stiles and back to Lydia. “You wanna tell them?” 

“Tell us what?” Stiles asked, crouching down beside her, fingers linked through hers.

Lydia squeezed his hand gently when he linked them together. She opened her mouth and paused, “I killed it.” She said still slightly surprised that it actually worked.

Scott blinked, “You what?” He glanced at Stiles, “She can do that?” He whispered, not that the rest of them who were standing literally less than three feet away couldn't hear him.

Stiles stared at her for a moment, eyes wide. “Where’s the body?” 

“It sort of exploded,” Michael informed him, glancing around. “So it’s a little bit of everywhere.” 

Lydia leaned back, “That happened,” she agreed. “I came by because I had a bad feeling,” she explained, “It’s gone now though and we should probably go before they make me stay here or something.” Because she did sort of make something big and scary explode in the middle of police station and well that wasn’t exactly normal.

Scott glanced sideways at Stiles. “If it’s dead then I guess they can be killed.” He said quietly while letting his eyes dart around again watching as people picked things up every once in a while glancing over in their direction. 

Stiles’ expression was troubled as he glanced back at Scott, then at his dad. “You’re okay, right? Did you get hurt at all?” He rested his free hand on Lydia’s shoulder, squeezing her hand with the one linked with hers. 

“I’m all right,” Michael assured him. “No injuries, thanks to Lydia.” He offered her a small, warm smile.

She smiled back. “I’m glad I was here.” She replied softly before her gaze shifted to Stiles. “If everything is okay here, can we go? I need,” she pressed her lips together, “I’m a little tired.” She admitted. 

Michael nodded reassuringly at Stiles, reaching out and squeezing his shoulder at the look on his face. “Take care of her,” he said quietly.

Stiles nodded slightly, sliding his arm beneath Lydia’s shoulders to help her out of the chair. It was definitely time to go to the hospital to make sure she was all right. 

Scott watched as Stiles helped Lydia up, “Want me to stay here and help out? Make sure everything stays calm?” He asked glancing between Stiles and the sheriff. He figured it would make Stiles feel better knowing someone was still keeping an eye on his dad while he handled Lydia. 

Stiles met Scott’s eyes, giving him a grateful look, glad that Scott could read him so well. “Yeah, that’d be good,” he said quietly. “Thanks, man.”

Scott nodded. “Yeah of course.”

Lydia leaned into Stiles and winced slightly as the ache in her chest hit her again briefly. She inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. She would be fine. She just needed some rest and no one died...she’d been able to save people this time.  _ That’s _ what mattered.


	10. Chapter 10

Lydia sat on the hospital bed gaze darting towards the door briefly before dropping back to her hand where the tube for the IV sat. Stiles had brought her to see Melissa not too long ago and the other woman had run some tests despite the fact that Lydia said she was fine. They were currently waiting for the results, but she was pretty sure she was fine. She felt Stiles’ eyes on her so she glanced over at him and leaned back, still a little bit tired, but feeling better for the most part.

“I’m fine,” she told him for what had to be the fourth time, “Just a little dehydration. With everything we’ve been through that’s nothing.” She said calmly. 

“And I”ll feel a lot better when someone in the medical profession comes in and tells me that,” he informed her with raised eyebrows. He moved from the chair beside her bed to the side of her bed, sitting down on the mattress and resting his hand over hers.

Lydia brushed her thumb over his hand. “I hate hospitals,” she reminded him as she closed her eyes for a minute. They fluttered open a few seconds later. “You look worried. I didn’t mean to worry you.” She added. 

“I know you do.” He hated them too. A lot. But his hatred of the place wasn’t going to stop him from making sure she was really okay. He reached up with his free hand, gently brushing some hair off her forehead. “Rest.”

Lydia leaned into the touch. She studied his face for a minute before nodding, “Will you lay with me?” She asked softly as she rubbed her finger against the back of his hand. 

“Yeah.” He exhaled, shifting so his legs were up on the bed as he stretched out beside her, pressing his lips against her temple. 

Lydia scooted closer to him and rested a hand on his chest with a soft sigh. She was silent for moment. “You haven’t asked for any details.” The strawberry blonde stated. “You’re not upset that I didn’t tell you I had a bad feeling...are you?”

He draped his arm around her waist, rubbing her ribcage gently with his thumb. “I wish you would have told me,” he admitted, voice quiet. “But I’m not mad at you, no.” Mostly right then he was just glad she was alive. 

Lydia pressed her lips together, “It was strange. I wasn’t sure at first. Not until I got to the station.” She admitted because even though she’d had a bad feeling it wasn’t like she’d known exactly what to expect. More like just where to be. “Next time I’ll call.” She promised. She hesitated, “Did you happen to call Derek or Mr. Argent?” She asked lightly. 

“No.” He was quiet for a moment. “I probably should let them know, though.”

“In a minute, don’t go right now.” She gripped his shirt lightly, teeth biting into her bottom lip. “You said someone is controlling these things, why would they go to the sheriff's station?” She asked softly. The question had been floating around in her head since she realized where the feeling was taking her. So far the other attacks hadn’t been anywhere as public. 

“Because it’s someone who’s wanting to send us a message,” he said after a moment, certainty in his voice.

Lydia lifted a brow, “Well looks like that didn’t work out so well for them.” She replied with half a smile. “I told you I could help.” She said as a slight clearing of a throat from the other side of the room sounded. 

He started to point out that she was now lying in a hospital bed, but he directed his attention to Melissa, who’d stepped into the room. He sat up slowly. “What’s the verdict?”

Melissa glanced between the two teenagers, a folder in hand. She shifted further into the room and placed the papers down. “Everything looks okay,” she replied carefully not wanting to worry either one of them. “Lydia sweetheart, how are you feeling? Chest still hurting?”

Lydia’s brows drew together and she shook her head, “No, not anymore. I’m feeling better, just a little tired.” 

“Everything is normal?” Stiles pressed, barely resisting the urge he had to reach out and take the file folder from Melissa.

Melissa rested her arms over her chest. “The results came back normal, but, well I’m a little concerned because what you described feeling earlier sounds like heart problems that someone your age shouldn’t have. But the results they show nothing at all. Nothing to indicate anything has ever been wrong.” She explained, which they all knew wasn’t true. The problem was _ if  _ something was wrong, Melissa didn’t think it would be found in any kind of medical test. 

Stiles rubbed a hand down his face, suddenly feeling much older than eighteen. His own heart began to beat faster at the confirmation from Melissa and he had to force himself to take a couple of slow, deep breaths because it wouldn’t take much more for him to spiral into a panic attack. “Then we need to find a non medical answer,” he said quietly.

Lydia’s gaze shifted to Stiles and she reached down and curled her fingers around his as she swallowed hard. “I think I’m fine now,” she looked between them, “Honest I feel a lot better.” She added even though a part of her knew that, that didn’t mean anything. Something wasn’t right and it hadn’t been for a while. “It’s my fault. I just, I need to figure out the right way to use my abilities...I’m working on it and once I do everything will be fine.” She tacked on because it was the truth, at least she was pretty sure it was.

He pressed his lips together, meeting her eyes momentarily and exhaling before looking back at Melissa. “Is it okay for me to take her home then?” And by home, he meant _theirs._  Because he really didn’t want her out of his sight for at least a few more hours.

Melissa’s expression softened and she nodded as she dropped her hands and smiled at them. “Let the IV finish and then of course it is. I shouldn’t be too late tonight. When I get home I’ll make some dinner, food will help keep your strength up.” She told Lydia with a smile.

The banshee returned her smile. “Thanks Mrs. McCall--Stilinski,” she corrected with half a grin. 

Stiles rubbed a hand lightly over Lydia’s shoulder, squeezing gently and meeting Melissa’s eyes. “Thanks. For everything,” he said quietly.

Melissa nodded. “You’re welcome sweetheart. For now relax. I’ll get the discharge papers together and then you two can head out.” She replied as she squeezed Stiles’ arm gently before heading for the door. 

He watched her go before turning his attention back to Lydia. “You’re okay with staying at Casa Stilinski tonight, right?” His voice was quiet.

Lydia met his gaze and nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine.” She knew he was worried and honestly she’d rather not be alone. “I’ll have to run it by Mr. Argent.” But she didn’t think he’d have a problem with it. She wasn’t used to having to run things by people, but part of moving out of Derek’s and into Argents came with rules. 

“Yeah, of course,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead. He exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. “I should call him.”

Lydia closed her eyes at the feel of his lips against her forehead. She swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay,” she ran a hand down his arm, “I’m fine.” She repeated trying to ease whatever it was she was feeling from him. “Call Derek too please. He’ll be upset if no one tells him.” She said softly as she played with his fingers. 

She wasn’t fine. She was a long way from fine. There was something wrong with her -- if not physical, supernaturally so. And he wasn’t sure which was the worse possibility. He let his free hand cover hers momentarily, squeezing it. “I’ll be right back.”

Lydia nodded. “Okay, I’m just going to rest my eyes for a bit.” She wasn’t lying when she said she was feeling better, but she could still feel the exhaustion in her body. She didn’t want think about what it meant. She’d talk to Deaton...he’d help her figure this out, he had to because she didn’t want to think about what would happen if he didn’t.

______

 

Stiles paced the floor, nearly oblivious to both Scott and Isaac who sat on Scott’s bed, watching him pace. “There’s gotta be a common thread we’re missing. There has to be.” He wanted to go back to his own room to stare at his board, to start making the connections, but Lydia was in his bed asleep and right now her rest and her health took precedence over what he wanted to do in terms of the case.

Scott traded a glance with Isaac before shifting his eyes to his best friend and rubbing his hands over his legs. “Maybe if you took a minute and calmed down and let us help. We could figure it out together.” He offered. He knew how worried Stiles was, he was worried too. They all were, but his friend was doing that thing he always did. “Take a step back,” he stated, “Let’s look at each instance individually.”

Isaac nodded, “The first attack was in the middle of nowhere practically.” He offered, “No one was there and the person was already dead.” 

“Then there was Tracy,” Stiles murmured, still pacing, raking a hand through his hair. “Who was -- nearly dead.” He didn’t look at Isaac. “And in the same place where we had the throwdown with Peter.” The same place where Lydia had died before.

Scott’s brows drew together, “And then the station,” he finished, “where no one died. A couple of people were a little banged up, but nothing serious. Your dad and I sent them off to the hospital, but no fatalities.” Which was a good thing.

“I still can’t believe Lydia killed it. That thing was terrifying,” Isaac said with a shake of his head. It had nearly killed him and Stiles. 

Stiles itched for a cigarette but instead, lifted a hand to his mouth and began to chew on his thumbnail absently. “All right so the places are all different. The gas station, the woods, the sheriff’s station. No common thread in the location.” 

Scott reached up and rubbed the back of his neck as he watched his friend chew on his nails. Stiles’ anxiety was practically a living breathing thing. “What about the victim's?” He suggested. True there weren’t any at the sheriff’s station, but there were two others. Even though the berserker hadn’t technically killed Tracy, she still hadn’t made it. 

“There was Tracy, from school. And the gas station attendant. His name was Robert Jackson.” Stiles paused, cocking his head to the side and suddenly looking like he was far away.

Isaac frowned, “What is it?” The only time Stiles ever got that look was when things were coming together and if they had a lead...well he wanted to know. Maybe it would help them figure this out and end it. 

“Lydia was at the sheriff’s station with my dad,” he murmured. “The first victim’s name was Jackson. She was sorta friends with Tracy. They had chemistry together.” He pressed his lips together and turned to look at Scott and Isaac. “Lydia’s the connection.” 

Scott’s chest tightened. “Do you think,” he paused and shifted uncomfortably, “are they coming for her?” He asked quietly. “Or whoever is controlling them...why would they want Lydia?”

Isaac glanced between Scott and Stiles, “Better question, now that they know Lydia can kill their big bad weapon...what are they going to do next?” 

A chill ran down Stiles’s spine at the ominous question. He didn’t have an answer for it, but he was already coming up with a plan. “We’re not waiting around to find out. She’s not to be left alone until we figure out who’s behind this.”

Scott nodded. “You know we’re all here.” He replied before sighing. It was always something. “Have we figured out a way for us to hurt the Berserkers yet? In case they do come. I know none of the books I was looking in had anything.”

Isaac shook his head. “Mine either. Also Lydia isn’t going to love this idea,” he warned. “We should probably let the rest of the pack know too. I know Cora and I can take shifts together,” he offered, “And you know Derek will want to be there.” Isaac knew he and Stiles hadn’t been getting along too well lately, but he also knew that Stiles understood there was no one other than himself that would protect Lydia better. “Oh and Braeden,” he added.

Scott made a face. Yeah Lydia  _ really _ wouldn’t like that. 

Stiles glanced at Scott first to address his question, a hint of a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I may have an idea about the how part.” Then he looked at Isaac, nodding. He knew Lydia wasn’t going to like Braeden’s involvement either, but all things considered, he felt like they’d gotten through the biggest issues concerning Derek and Braeden both now. Like they’d conquered a roadblock. 

“There’s going to be plenty of jobs to go around.” They were going to need all hands on deck, as per usual.

Isaac nodded, “Sounds like a plan. I’ll give Cora a call, fill her in on the plan.” He said as he stood. He paused briefly resting a hand on Stiles shoulder. “Don’t worry, no one is going to let anything happen to Lydia.” He said softly.

Scott sat on the bed watching them and smiled slightly at the gesture. He was really glad Stiles and Isaac got along now. 

Stiles nodded slightly, watching as Isaac headed out of the room to call his girlfriend. Then he turned to look at Scott with raised eyebrows. “Remember a few years ago when I forced you to sit through all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”

Scott groaned and fell back onto the bed. “I hated you for a while...and then I started liking it and hated you even more.” He replied shooting a mock glare at his best friend from his position on the bed.

He smirked in response. “Yeah, well, be glad I forced you to sit through it because we’re about to take a page out of Buffy’s handbook.”

Scott arched a brow angling his head in Stiles’ direction, curiosity coloring his features. “We’re going to turn our vampire lover evil and send him to hell?” he joked. 

He snorted and reached out, clapping a hand on Scott’s shoulder. “No, but we are going to break into an army base and steal a rocket launcher.”

Scott opened his mouth and closed it. He was silent for a minute and then nodded. “Our parents aren’t going to like this. Let’s make this one of those things we select not to tell them. Also...I don’t think a rocket launcher is going to fit in the jeep.” He said as he sat up, grin on his face. 

Stiles simply grinned. 

______

 

Braeden rolled her neck as she dropped down on her bike, feet planted on the ground, not bothering to start the engine just yet. She slipped her hand into her back pocket and pulled out her phone as she glanced back at the apartment building behind her. 

When siblings started to argue it was her cue for to leave. She held down the number ‘two’ on her phone and brought it to her ear, waiting for Stiles to answer as she enjoyed the cooler weather momentarily wondering if they were going to need to worry about something or someone being attacked tonight. 

“Hello?” Stiles pressed his phone to his ear as he stood in front of his whiteboard, staring at all the different things he’d jotted down.

Braeden could hear the distraction in his voice and her lip twitched slightly, “You know, if you wanted to ruin my night there are less annoying ways to do it.” She joked trying to get him to relax a little bit. “What’s going on?” She inquired lightly while shifting on her motorcycle.

He blinked a couple of times at the sound of Braeden’s voice. “Ruin your night? How’d I do that?” 

“It was a joke,” she offered with a frown, “Cora and Derek are going at it. So I ducked out.” She explained. “Last I heard she talked to you and I didn’t get much after that.” She leaned forward on the bike, “What’s going on? Everything okay? Because things seemed tense and when I didn’t get an answer I figured I’d call the source.”

He blew out a breath, erasing the words “Connection???” and “None found” from the board. “We found a connection between the victims. It’s Lydia.”

Braeden lifted a brow and blew out a breath as she shook her head. “And the yelling now makes sense. You realize your girlfriend is like a walking disaster right? Is our big bad after her?” 

Stiles scowled involuntarily. “I don’t know. I just know all three of the victims have had a connection to her personally and so far that’s the only connection we’ve been able to make so we have to go with it.” Meaning Lydia was under 24/7 surveillance.

Braeden nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “So what’s the plan? Do you need anything from me? And have you heard from your dad about the bodies? Did they find anything at the crime scenes for us to go on?” 

“There was more than one blood type at each crime scene. So we’re definitely looking at the possibility of more bodies that haven’t been located yet,” Stiles replied.

Braeden pursed her lips. “I’ll keep an eye out on that front.” She knew if Stiles needed help he’d ask. “How are  _ you _ holding up?”

“That’d be good,” he agreed. He was quiet for a moment. “I have a bad feeling.”

Braeden angled her head to the side a frown tugging at her lips. “What kind of bad feeling?” She asked lowering her voice even though no one was around. “Talk to me.”  

“Like we’ve only seen the beginning of what’s coming,” he responded grimly.

She winced and glanced down holding in a sigh. “That’s never good.” Because typically Stiles’ hunches were usually right. “Where do you want me in all of this?” 

Stiles was getting ready to respond when he heard a knock on the door. He turned and spotted Scott, who was motioning him over. “Hang on,” he told Braeden, moving over to where his best friend stood. “What’s up?”

Scott glanced from Stiles on the phone over to Lydia briefly before turning back to his best friend. “Deaton is here, says he needs to talk to you. It’s important.” He explained trying not to come off anxious even though the veterinarian's body language had worried him. 

Well, that certainly didn’t bode well in Stiles’s experience. He couldn’t remember a time Deaton had actually made a house call. Whatever was bringing him here was bad. He glanced back at Lydia then rubbed a hand over his face. “Braeden, I’m gonna have to call you back, okay?”

Braeden could hear the stress in his voice. She dug her keys out with one hand as she nodded even though he couldn’t see her. “Keep me in the loop and call me if you need me.” 

“Yeah, I will. Talk to you soon,” he told her, hanging up the phone and meeting Scott’s eyes. “This is bad, isn’t it?” 

Scott hesitated and lifted a shoulder. “I’m not sure,” he replied honestly, “But the last time Deaton came here to talk to us,” he paused, “well it was the nogitsune.” He answered quietly his gaze darting back to a sleeping Lydia. “Has she woken up at all yet?” 

He didn’t flinch at the mention of the nogitsune, but he did look away, holding his breath for a moment. “No. She’s been sleeping nonstop.”

Scott nodded. “I’m sure she just needs to recharge. Killing that berserker...that probably took a lot out of her.” He offered as she nodded towards the stairs and started walking. “He’s in the living room.” 

Stiles gazed at Lydia for a moment longer before following Scott out the door, quietly switching the light off and pulling the bedroom door shut and then making his way down the stairs. He drew in a deep breath as he spotted Deaton standing in the living room. “Deaton,” he greeted. 

Deaton glanced over to the stairs when he heard his name. He nodded. “Stiles, sorry for dropping by this late.” he glanced at Scott briefly before turning his gaze back to the other teenager. “I got your message from earlier and I thought maybe we should talk.”

“Yeah, I already don’t like the sound of this, Doc. What’s up?” He forced himself to try and relax.

Deaton motioned to the couch, “Why don’t we sit,” he suggested as he moved over and sat down himself. “It’s about the nemeton regrowing. I know we discussed it briefly before, but after the information you left me earlier I did some digging. Beacon Hills is already a beacon for supernatural creatures,” he explained something they knew, “but with the regrowth of the nemeton, the urge or rather being drawn to the town is going to spread, especially if the balance is not restored. The nemeton will seek to restore that balance itself.” 

Scott frowned, “What does that mean?” 

Stiles rubbed a hand over his face, leaning heavily against the recliner, heart beating quicker in his chest. “It means if there isn’t another sacrifice specifically to the nemeton, all hell is gonna break loose.”

Scott could feel the tension pouring off Stiles and he pursed his lips as he glanced at Deaton. “Is there anything we can do to stop that from happening  _ without  _ a sacrifice? And what does that mean for Lydia?” He asked knowing his friend would want to know that.  _ He _ wanted to know that.

Deaton took a deep breath his gaze shifting from the alpha over to Stiles, “It means that whatever is happening to her now, the dreams Stiles mentioned, the phantom pain it’s not going to stop. Not until the balance is restored. The nemeton will come for her.” He answered quietly not exactly liking the news he was delivering, but knowing they needed to know. 

Stiles chewed his thumbnail as he began to pace, mind spinning with thoughts. “Then we need to find a sacrifice before it has the chance.” 

Scott opened his mouth, but before he could say anything a voice from the stairs sounded.

“I’m not okay with that.” Lydia said softly the sound of her voice making three heads turn in her direction. She’d been woken up by the combination of distress and anxiety coming from Stiles. When she didn’t see him upstairs she made her way downstairs catching the tail end of their conversation. Her gaze shifted to Deaton. “How long do we have?”

Deaton shook his head, “It’s not a science. There’s no way of knowing that and while I don’t think the berserkers Stiles mentioned are doing the nemeton’s bidding it’s just a matter of time before something else comes and is.” 

Stiles had stopped pacing the moment he heard Lydia’s voice, and he could see the resignation on her face. “ _ No _ .” His voice was firm. “Forget it. This is not the end of the line.” 

Lydia sighed, “Stiles, we’re not killers. We’re not going to just sacrifice someone so that this goes away. In what world does anyone think I’d be okay with someone else dying for me?” She asked with a frown as she made her way down the rest of the stairs. She was feeling better than she had been earlier. “We can figure something else out.” She offered.

Deaton hated to be the voice of reason, but this wasn’t really one of those situations where some kind of last minute reprieve rolled around. “Lydia, the nemeton is old and it’s powerful. Unfortunately if the balance is not restored by the pack the nemeton will restore it and it will drawn supernatural creatures to this town to do so. It’s probably already started.” He replied quietly.

Scott shook his head. “We’ve faced things like this before, we’ll figure out a plan,” he turned his gaze on Stiles, “Tell him.” 

After a moment, Stiles closed his eyes. “I can’t. Because he’s right. It’s how it works. That night --” He drew in a breath and exhaled. “I killed Peter, and the nemeton needed a balance of goodness and darkness in order to maintain balance and order. I broke that when I brought Lydia back.” He didn’t look up. “Either we provide the nemeton with a replacement sacrifice or it’s gonna come after Lydia.”

Scott shook his head. “But Allison said, you said she said it wasn’t Lydia’s time that she shouldn’t be there.” 

Lydia’s heart clenched at Scott’s words. “Because she was protecting us,” she answered quietly, “Like always. She knew if I knew the truth I never would have let Stiles bring me back. If I knew what would happen, the kind of danger it would put you all in.” She shook her head and swallowed heavily. “Right now we need to focus on the berserkers and whoever is controlling them. Once we take care of that...we’ll figure this out.” She said even though there wasn’t all that much to figure out. 

Stiles looked over at her for a second and then let his gaze drift to the floor again. He knew her too well, knew exactly what she already thought. That there was no solution. He raked a hand through his hair, a burst of frustration and anger surging through him. He wanted to break something. Hit something. “You should get some more rest,” he told her quietly. “I need to go for a run. Clear my head.” He glanced at Scott, arching his eyebrows and trying to send him a mental message.  _ Stay with her. _

Scott inclined his head in understanding. It wasn’t often that he and Stiles needed actual words to understand the other.

Lydia frowned, but before she could say anything Deaton was talking again.

“Lydia, how are you feeling?” He asked while leaning forward slightly.

She looked over at him and shrugged, “Fine now.”

Deaton nodded. “A word of caution. You need to start using your abilities correctly. Every time you use them wrong you’re just speeding up the process.” He explained quietly. 

Lydia sighed, “I’m trying, it’s not as easy as everyone makes it sound.” She stated.

Deaton stood slowly and nodded. “I know. Just keep in mind when you use them again, you’re a banshee, you have a connection to things on another level than everyone else. You can feel energy and emotions, that others can’t. Instead of drawing from your own energy and what you’re feeling, draw from the things and people around you and focus that energy, not your own.” 

Scott glanced between them, eyebrows furrowing a little. “Like -- the pack?”

Deaton smiled and nodded. “The pack, regular people, the nemeton even. Everything around us has energy. Every living thing. Lydia should be able to draw from it all once she figures out how. The reason she keeps getting sick is because she’s literally pushing her own energy, essentially her own life force so to speak out of her body. She needs to draw on the energy of others, that should fix that problem.” His gaze shifted towards her, “Once you learn how to do that...there’s no telling how powerful you’ll actually be. It’s truly quite fascinating. We haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of what you can do.”

Lydia pressed her lips together. Yeah, if she lived long enough. “Well then if that’s the case everyone needs to be super nice to me and let me do what I want or I’m going to have to kick their collective butts with my super powers.” She joked, though her heart wasn’t really in it. 

Stiles raked a hand through his hair, shook his head, and turned, yanking the door open and heading outside without a word. He pulled off the flannel shirt he wore over his t-shirt, tossed it on the porch, and started down the steps before breaking into a quick paced jog. If only he could run fast enough to escape the conversation that just happened.

Lydia let out a breath as she glanced at the open door, heart clutching at the different emotions she could feel coming from Stiles and as he started jogging. She glanced at Deaton and sent him half a smile. “Thanks for coming by.”

Deaton watched Lydia for a minute before nodding. He squeezed Scott’s shoulder as he headed out the door closing it behind him.

Lydia was silent as she let herself sink down until she was sitting on the bottom stairs. “I’m just going to wait for him here.” She told Scott softly. 

“I have a feeling it might be awhile,” Scott admitted, moving to sit down beside her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

Lydia leaned into him and nodded. “I know,” she whispered. “Scott,” she swallowed heavily, “promise me something?” she asked. 

“Please don’t,” he said very softly. Because he was pretty sure he already knew what she was going to ask him to promise.

Lydia closed her eyes and when she opened them again they were glassy. “You have to. Scott you have to. I don’t want to ask. But no matter what happens you know Stiles. Promise me.  _ Please _ .” She rested a hand on his leg, “I can’t let someone else die for me. And we can’t let what happened last time, happen again. You need to make sure it doesn’t. When the time comes, if we can’t fix this, you have to help him let me go.” 

He shut his eyes, rubbing his free hand over his face and suddenly feeling a lot older than 18. “We’re gonna find a way to stop this, Lydia. Without you dying, and without anyone else being sacrificed. There  _ has _ to be a way. Somehow. We didn’t come this far to just throw in the towel.”

Scott’s unyielding optimism was one of the things Lydia loved most about him. It was what made him who he was. She sent him half a smile. “I’m sure you’re right,” she replied, her heart skipping a beat at the lie. “Everything’s going to be fine. We’ll figure it out, we always do.” She told him calmly, even if this time she wasn’t at all confident that they would. Because sometimes as bad as you wanted there to be another way, there wasn’t.


	11. Chapter 11

Lydia sat on Stiles’ bed watching him as she thumbed pointlessly through her Math textbook. It had been two days since Deaton stopped by and Stiles had been hard to read since. She tapped her nails on the book as she stared at his back. “I could come with you,” she offered knowing what his answer would be. She’d been stuck in the house since the attack at the sheriff's station. They  had school tomorrow so it wasn’t like she’d be in the house forever, but being babysat by her friends was starting to get to her.

 

She knew they meant well and she’d done her best to go along with it because it seemed to make Stiles feel better. But she was going stir crazy. And Mr. Argent was worried. But he knew the sheriff and Melissa were there as well as everyone else so for now he was letting it be. “Stiles, did you hear me?” She inquired lightly as she closed the book and tossed it aside. 

 

He drew in a breath as he combed through the bestiary, and then glanced back at her. “Yeah. I heard you. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” he said, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. “There are wards on the house that keep you safe while you’re here. But once you step foot out that door, that level of protection is essentially gone.” 

 

Lydia held in a sigh trying to remind herself that all Stiles wanted was to protect her. “I know, I remember,” she replied, “but they’re going to have to come off some time. I mean we have school tomorrow.” She added. “Plus we’ve gone over that I can help.” She scooted to the edge of the bed so her legs were hitting the floor. She hesitated for a second as her hands curled around the edge of the bed. “Stiles, keeping me here...it’s not going to change anything.” She told him softly. They hadn’t really talked about what Deaton told them. As a matter-of-fact they avoided the topic pretty much all together. 

 

“I’m working on a plan for the school thing,” he said distractedly. Then he tensed at her last words, shoulders going rigid and jaw tightening slightly. “Lydia, I can’t --” He forced himself to take a deep breath. “I can’t think about that right now.” Correction: he couldn’t  _ talk _ about it right now. He’d done nothing  _ but _ think about it since Deaton’s visit. There was a plan already formulating in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t let it surface closer to the forefront because of all the emotions that would come with it. It would be too big a tip off to Scott and Lydia. 

 

The catch in his voice made Lydia’s chest tighten. She slid off the bed, standing slowly and walked over to where he sat. She rested her hands on his shoulders and rubbed them slightly. “I know,” she replied quietly. “I just--” she didn’t want to waste time being away from him, but she didn’t know how to say that without upsetting him. He’d been running off trying to figure things out without her since the other night and all Lydia wanted was to spend some time with him because she knew once they figured out who was behind the berserkers and they stopped them it would be time for her to go through with the decision she’d already made. “I want to spend time with you and I want to help.”

 

He closed his eyes when he felt her hands come to rest on his shoulders. He was unbelievably tense, more so than he had been probably since right after being possessed. He tried to relax, for Lydia’s sake, though. He exhaled slowly, leaning back into her touch. “I know,” he said quietly. He presses his lips together. “Lydia, I’m terrified about what’s going to happen the second you step out of this house.”

 

Lydia sighed softly as she brushed her thumb against the back of his neck. “I know you are,” she replied quietly, “But Stiles what would you have me do? Stay in the house forever? You know that’s no way to live. Neither one of us should have to do that.” 

 

“Yes,” he answered immediately, stubborn and frowning. “And of course we shouldn’t have to. That’s not the point.”

 

Lydia arched a brow, “Don’t be ridiculous,” she huffed trying not to smile at his petulance. She squeezed his shoulder gently and shifted, pushing his chair away from the desk slightly so she could sit on his lap. “Let me help,” she said softly while running a hand down his arm. “I bet if we put our heads together we can figure this out in no time.” Which was probably true. 

 

He rested his hands on her hips as she slid onto his lap and he exhaled, leaning forward and resting his forehead against her collarbone, closing his eyes. She wasn’t wrong. They always figured things out faster when they worked together. He was also afraid of how quickly they could figure it out because he knew as soon as they did they’d have to deal with the other issue at hand. And he didn’t want to deal with the fact that their time together was dwindling faster than water down a bathtub drain. “I love you,” he whispered.

 

Lydia ran her hand through his hair and her heart clenched at the momentary wave of emotion she felt from him. “I love you too, you know that.” She replied as she tightened her grip on him. She desperately wanted to say something to reassure him, tell him everything was going to be fine. But the strawberry blonde loved him too much to lie to his face especially now. “I know you just want to keep me safe, but it’s bordering on keeping your girlfriend prisoner,” she joked trying to lighten the mood. “Let me come with you and Braeden.” She tried again.

 

He flinched at that accusation, even if it was said in a joking tone, his hands gripping her hips a little more tightly. “I’m not trying to keep you prisoner,” he said softly.

 

Lydia angled her head to the side, brushing her thumb against his jaw. “I wouldn’t mind if  _ you _ were here with me.” She answered. “I just want to be useful. I hate that everyone is wasting their time babysitting me when we could be out there looking for new information.” Information that would inevitably get them closing to resolving things and closer to--no she wasn’t going to go there. Not now with Stiles there. 

  
“Hey, we’re doing the same thing to Scott,” he reminded her, arching his eyebrows.

 

She rolled her eyes, “Yes and Scott might be perfectly okay with hanging out in the house with Kira for the moment, but I am not.” Lydia glanced down and played with his fingers, “Soo,” she drew out the word, “where are we going?” 

 

He closed his eyes, shaking his head. “We’re not,” he said softly. “I can’t. Please don’t ask me to do this,” he whispered. 

 

Lydia opened her mouth, but stopped. She hated the look on his face and she certainly didn’t want to be the one to put it there. But more so she didn’t want to fight with him. “Fine, I’ll stay here.” 

 

“I’m sorry, Lydia,” he murmured.

 

She shrugged. “It’s fine,” it wasn’t, but she understood. Lydia was trying very hard to put herself in his shoes and try to understand what he was feeling, not that she needed to try that hard. She could feel it every once in awhile though she had a feeling he was pushing everything else on top of what he was really feeling so he wouldn’t worry her and Scott. She squeezed his arm gently and started to get up. 

 

He pressed a kiss to her forehead before reluctantly pulling his hands away so she could stand. He raked a hand through his hair and then rubbed the back of his neck, pressing his lips together and feeling like a huge asshole.

 

Lydia plopped back down on his bed and laid back turning her head to watch his movements. She was pretty sure she’d never seen him this stressed out before. “You heading out soon?” She inquired while resting her hands on her stomach trying to keep her voice light. She didn’t want to give him another reason to be upset. 

 

“Yeah, I probably should.” He glanced at the clock. He rose to his feet somewhat reluctantly and looked over at her. “I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour or two.” 

 

Lydia watched him for a minute and nodded. “Please be careful.” 

 

He met her eyes and gave a quick nod. “I will. I’ll text you when we’re on the way back.” He managed a faint smile and headed for the door, chewing his thumbnail and making a mental note to find some Xanax somehow. 

 

______

 

Isaac glanced at the cards in his hands before peering over them at his girlfriend. He lifted a brow and smirked before throwing down a wild card, “Blue,” He said smugly knowing that . It was late afternoon and Melissa was at the hospital working, Michael was at the sheriff's station, Scott and Kira were in the backyard testing Scott’s reflexes, Derek and Argent were on the hunt for something to help Lydia and Stiles and Braeden were rounding on being gone a lot longer than initially planned.

 

Isaac wasn’t sure what they were doing, but he knew they were fine because Stiles had checked in several times. His gaze drifted briefly from the cards at the sound of movement from upstairs. He tilted his head slightly, but once he determined Lydia was just heading to the bathroom he put his focus back on Cora again waiting for her move.

 

Her eyes narrowed at Isaac’s call of blue, then smirking back at him before tossing down a wild card draw four. “I don’t have blue. Let’s go with red.”

 

Isaac grunted and he pointed at her, “I knew you were hoarding that card.” He huffed and reached for the pile, picking up four and then two more before finally getting a red. He put it down and lifted a brow, “There’s your red, happy?” His tone was mock angry, but the grin tugging at his lips probably gave him away. 

 

“Yes, I am, in fact.” She tossed own a red card of her own. “Uno.” One card away and victory would be hers. Again. For the third round.

 

Isaac shot a glare in her direction as he reached towards the pile once again because of course he didn’t have a red card. He shook his head as four more cards were added to his pile. “You’re seriously lucky I like you,” he joked, his hand just about to pick up another card when he heard an odd noise. The curly haired male’s actions paused and he tilted his head to the side. “Did you hear that?” 

 

Cora cocked her head, as well, listening and then narrowing her eyes. “She’s going out the window,” she said with a hint of disbelief, tossing down her last card before rising to her feet and heading for the door. “She knows we’re werewolves, right?” 

 

Isaac got up and followed behind Cora. “Stiles isn’t going to like this,” he said as a hint of panic shot through him. “What the hell is she doing? Jumping out of the window? She’s going to kill herself and we’re going to be the ones who get in trouble for that,” he grumbled even though he didn’t mean a word of it. He was worried and honestly Lydia leaving the house after promising Stiles she wouldn’t...he didn’t even know what to think about that. 

 

Cora was worried, too, but she was also annoyed. She liked Lydia, but the girl seemed to have some kind of death wish that she was trying to play out these days. She quickly stepped out of the house and rounded the corner, folding her arms in front of her and pinning the redhead with a look. “Going somewhere?” she asked dryly.

 

Lydia froze, her body still slightly unsteady from the drop down to the ground. Allison had always made that look a lot easier. She straightened up slowly and cleared her throat as she dusted off her pants and turned to face an annoyed looking Cora and Isaac. She pursed her lips together. She didn’t have time for this. The strawberry blond held up a hand. “You don’t understand...I have to go, something’s wrong.” She’d felt it start not long ago and instead of the feeling going away all together it had gotten worse, pulling her in a specific direction, except this time she was fully aware of it. 

 

“Something like what?” Cora asked warily. “Like we need to go with you to find a dead body?” There was uncertainty in her voice because she still didn’t have a full understanding of how Lydia’s banshee powers worked. Werewolf abilities were so much simpler to understand.

 

Lydia frowned. “I don’t know, I just know I need to go. And it’s probably better if you don’t come.” She admitted as she started to shift forward.

 

Isaac stepped forward and held up a hand, “No way. You’re not going anywhere let alone anywhere without us. Lydia if Stiles knew you were out here--”

 

“This isn’t about Stiles,” she snapped as the feeling in the bit of her stomach grew worse. She winced. “People are dead,” she whispered, “I  _ have _ to go.” 

 

“And we have to come with you,” Cora informed her. “Because we’d prefer you didn’t become one of the dead people.” Her tone was matter of fact.

 

Lydia shrugged as she dug her hand into her pocket, fingers curling around her keys, “As long as you’re not trying to stop me I don’t care.” She responded while shifting forward and heading in the direction of where her car was parked. 

 

Cora heaved a sigh and looked at Isaac with a disbelieving expression before turning and following Lydia to said car. “So do you know where you’re going or are we just driving around til your banshee senses start tingling?”

 

Isaac pursed his lips and followed behind them, his hand coming out to rest at the small of Cora’s back as they followed Lydia.

 

The strawberry blonde swallowed hard as she pressed the keyless entry to the car before reaching for the handle and tugging the door open. “The preserve, we’re going to the preserve.” She wasn’t sure how she knew, but her destination was crystal clear and while she didn’t always immediately realize what was happening in situations like this, this time she was one hundred percent lucid.

 

______

 

“Anyone else feel like this is a terrible idea?” Isaac mumbled as they all clamored out of Lydia’s car at the preserve. He glanced over at Cora, not liking anything about this situation. They definitely should have called Scott and Stiles. He was pretty sure the latter was going to be pretty pissed that he’d been left out of the Lydia loop when he found out. Scott probably wasn’t going to be happy about it either. Hell,  _ Derek _ was going to be furious. He wasn’t sure which one of the three worried him the most.

 

Lydia rolled her eyes, “It’s always a terrible idea,” she stated slipping her keys into her pocket. “It doesn’t make it any less important that we see what’s going on.” She threw over her shoulder as she made her way towards the path that led deeper into the preserve. “Something’s wrong.” She murmured to herself as she continued moving.

 

Cora sighed. She was with Isaac on this one. But they couldn’t let Lydia just take off to parts unknown without them. Stiles would never forgive her. 

 

Isaac sighed, too, exchanging a look with Cora and shaking his head before following Lydia toward the woods. “Is this the part where I start singing Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my?” 

 

Lydia glanced over  her shoulder and scowled in Isaac’s direction before turning her gaze forward again. She could feel it, the further they moved into the preserve. Her heartbeat picked up speed, and the air almost felt colder around her. Her chest felt heavy and the stench of death swirled around her. She swallowed heavily, faltering in her steps for barely a second before shifting the path she was walking and heading to the left toward the large clearing in the distance. 

 

Isaac shut his mouth at the glare, folding his arms across his chest as they walked deeper into the woods, toward what he figured was their inevitable deaths at the hands of berserkers or something equally horrible.

 

Cora exchanged yet another glance with Isaac, not able to help the antsy feeling growing in her. She hated not knowing where they were going or what was happening. She pressed her lips together as she watched Lydia make another sharp turn and continued following along. “How much further? Do you even know where you’re going?” She called out, pausing briefly and angling her head to the side as she caught scent. Her gaze shifted over to Isaac again. “Do you smell that?” she whispered as Lydia’s pace quickened. 

 

His stomach twisted with dread at her words because as soon as she said it, he  _ did _ smell it. “Blood,” he murmured. A lot of it. He quickened his pace to fall into step with Lydia, glancing at her sideways. “I think we should go.” There was a hint of alarm in his voice. 

 

Lydia shook her head, “No,” she replied automatically a hint of distress in her voice. “We can’t, we need to make sure--” the rest of her words froze in her throat as she came to an abrupt halt, her eyes taking in the bodies covering the clearing, a dozen at least. She let out a shaky breath, “We’re too late,” she whispered, heart clutching in her chest as she pushed forward jogging into the clearing.

 

Cora paused near Isaac taking in the bodies. “This really isn’t good,” she mumbled to him, “Lydia wait up, come on come back.” She called as she jogged out after the redhead. It’s not like there was anything the other girl could do at this point. They needed to call Stiles and Derek because she was pretty sure some of these people were a part of that old ladies pack. 

 

Isaac followed quickly, heart beating hard in his chest. “This is Satomi’s pack,” he said, feeling sick at the sight of all the dead werewolves. He didn’t see Satomi herself, but he recognized a few of the others from passing interactions over the last couple years. “I don’t even know if they had actual enemies.” 

 

“How could they?” Cora asked, “We barely knew who they were let alone anyone else. How the hell did this happen? And what were they even all doing here?” She shook her head spotting Lydia crouching down by one of the younger wolves. She pressed her lips together. “We need to go,” she said to Isaac before slowly walking towards Lydia, not wanting to startle the other girl knowing how she got when it came to things like this. Cora reach out, “Lydia...we should go. We need to tell someone what happened.”

 

Lydia’s eye burned with tears. “I should have came sooner.” She stated barely listening to Cora’s words. She felt the girl’s hand on her arm and she glanced over her shoulder at her. “This doesn’t look like berserkers, I don’t understand.” 

 

Isaac knelt down beside one of the other fallen wolves, swallowing heavily as the scent of blood and death overtook his senses. He felt nauseated but he struggled against the bile in the back of his throat. “That’s because it wasn’t berserkers,” he said after a moment, staring at the bullet wound in the wolf’s forehead. “They were shot.” He glanced over at Cora and Lydia warily. “Hunters.”

 

Cora nodded, “That’s what it looks like,” and to be honest she was kind of freaking out. “We should go,” she repeated because what the hell else was she supposed to say? They had no clue who had done this or where whoever did it went. And honestly she didn’t want to find out.

 

Lydia swallowed hard to moisten her throat and finally she nodded as she pushed herself up slowly, trying to push through the nausea she felt. She straightened up and her stomach tightened making her body tense. She glanced around, a frown tugging at her lips. “You’re right let's go,” and the second the words left her mouth there was a sharp sound echoing through the quiet as the sound of a gun firing filled the air. 

 

“Oh shit,” Isaac muttered, eyes widening as a bullet slammed into a tree near his head. “Get down!” His eyes flared gold, claws and fangs emerging as he looked around to try and see the shooter.

 

Lydia and Cora ducked simultaniously before the brunette straightened, eyes sparking bright as her claws too came out. “Where the hell is that coming from?” She snapped as another round was shot off smacking dead into the tree right beside her.

 

Lydia’s head whipped around, “I think it’s coming from over there?” She said with a question, pointing as she took a steps in that direction unintentionally.

 

“Stay down,” Isaac told her, a short growl escaping him. 

 

Lydia paused at Isaac’s growl. 

 

Cora’s eyes were frantically moving around the clearing before they landed on Lydia, “Let’s go,” she snapped trying to make the redhead move.

 

Lydia opened her mouth and right then another shot went off and that familiar feeling of dread welled in her stomach.  _ No _ , she couldn’t let this happen.

 

“Cora, get  _ down _ ,” Isaac said, voice rising in a troubled pitch as she began to stand. He launched himself at her, tackling her to the ground right as the sound of another gunshot rang out. He looked down at her, relieved that she seemed to be okay. But then his gaze dropped to her stomach, and he could see blood staining her shirt. “Oh god.”

 

Lydia rushed over to them, eyes wide she bent down spotting the blood on Cora’s shirt, but when she reached out she couldn’t find the girls wound. “It missed,” she said slightly puzzled, but definitely not complaining. “You’re right, we should go.” She said while starting to stand up, attempting to push aside the sinking feeling in her stomach. 

 

Cora struggled to sit up, eyes wide as she saw the blood on her shirt but didn’t feel any pain. “If it missed why is there so much --” She froze, looking up at Isaac just in time to see the realization dawn on his face at the same time. “Oh god.” Sure enough, blood was trickling out of a wound in his abdomen. “It’s not mine!” 

 

Lydia’s gaze darted to Isaac and she watched him wince and then hit the ground beside Cora, his back hitting the grass. “No,” she whispered as she moved back over to them. “It’s going to be fine,” she said locking eyes with Cora. “Help me,” she reached for Isaac when an echo of a sound hit her ears. Her head jerked towards the tree a fear bolted through her as another shot was fired. Lydia shifted her hands that had been about to help Isaac and lifted them in front of her focusing on using her excess energy to push the barrier around them, not even sure if it would keep out a bullet. She squeezed her eyes shut waiting for impact and hoping it wouldn’t come. 

 

She wasn’t sure what Lydia was doing until she could see the faint glow of the shield blocking them from whoever was shooting at them. She also wasn’t about to waste any time. She slid her arms around Isaac’s back, helping him up even as a pained sound escaped him. Her expression was stricken at the noise, her shirt and hands smeared with his blood. “Come on, we have to move. Lydia, come on.” 

 

Lydia nodded as she stood slowly reaching out to help Cora when another shot was fired and another. Lydia closed her eyes as they attempted to move, pushing it out further, but it was getting harder to keep it up and move. The amount of energy and concentration it took taking a toll. “Who the hell is doing this?” She asked voice strained as her eyes fluttered open. She felt the warm liquid beneath her nose and she already knew what it was. 

 

She glanced at Isaac, pain etched on his face and she let out a shaky breath. They needed to move faster.

 

“Just go,” Cora said, grabbing her arm and pulling her along because she looked like she was about to pass out and if she did, they were all in a lot of trouble. The blood trickling from Lydia’s nose and the blood she could feel seeping onto her arm from Isaac’s injury told him that they were already in trouble. 

 

Isaac grunted doing his best to move with Cora, just glad she was okay. He gripped part of his side, his fingers touching hers. He looked forward and spotted the end of the path that led to the car and honestly he’d never been so happy to see anything. He no longer heard shots being fired, but that didn’t mean they weren’t being followed.

 

Lydia let Cora tug her forward as one hand slid into her pocket searching for her keys. They were close, she could just make out the line of the car, but it felt so far away. 

 

As soon as they managed to make it to the car, Cora snatched the keys out of Lydia’s hands. “I need you to stay awake, Lydia.” Her tone was serious, authoritative in a way she wasn’t with the pack usually. “You’ve gotta stay awake and you have to keep Isaac awake while I drive to the clinic.” She yanked the back door of the car open.

 

Lydia nodded as she ducked into the car trying not to move too fast so the dizziness wouldn’t get any worse. Once she was in the car she wiped beneath her nose before holding out her hands, “Give him to me,” she said making sure there was enough room to get Isaac’s body in the car. 

 

As gently as she could, Cora dragged Isaac’s frame into the car, resting his torso in Lydia’s lap, a pained expression on the brunette’s face before she pulled away, clenching her teeth together to try and keep her hands from shaking as she shut the door and launched herself into the driver’s seat. She jammed the key into the ignition and peeled away from the preserve, pedal pressed down to the floor.

 

It didn’t take long to get to the animal clinic, Cora’s driving was atrocious, something Lydia idly thought about as she attempted to keep herself awake. Her hand rested heavily on Isaac’s stomach, trying to keep pressure on his wound. She could feel the sticky warmth of his blood between her fingers and it made her nauseous. 

 

Her other hand was in his hair, his forehead damp. Poison...it’s the only reason he’d be reacting this severely to a gunshot wound. By the time the car came to a stop, Isaac’s breathing was shallow and Lydia was deathly pale. She felt her chest constrict as she glanced at Isaac. “You’re going to be fine, we’re here.” She replied, “Everything’s going to be okay.” 

 

“Don’t...feel fine,” he mumbled, eyes drooping shut. 

 

Cora scrambled out of the driver’s seat once she had the car in park in front of Deaton’s clinic, and she yanked the back door open. She slid her arms beneath Isaac’s shoulder, carefully pulling him out of the car and glancing toward Lydia. “Call Scott.” There was a hint of panic in her voice.

 

Lydia watched Isaac hiss as Cora pulled him from the car and she nodded as she slid out behind them, her hand slipping shakily into her pocket as she moved behind them heading towards the clinic as her fingers curled around the cell phone. She felt unsteady as they walked to the double doors, phone heavy in her hands.

 

Isaac was gripping his stomach, the burning inside of him growing worse. “He’s here right?” He questioned voice strained. 

 

“Deaton!” Cora called out, unable to hold onto Isaac and also open the door to the clinic. She glanced over to where Lydia was, looking shaky and unsteady and a surge of panic flooded her. She couldn’t do this alone. Deaton  _ had _ to be there. He had to be.

 

Deaton’s head jerked up at the panicked cry and he moved around the table in the back and walked quickly towards the front eyes going wide when he spotted Cora attempting to get the doors open while carrying what looked like a barely conscious Isaac. He rushed forward tugging the doors open and reached out to help Cora, brows drawing together as he took Isaac in. “What happened?” He asked quickly, face clear of panic, because that wasn’t what he did. But Deaton could admit the situation was very troublesome. His gaze darted to Lydia before shifting back to Cora. 

 

“The woods. There were hunters shooting at us and Isaac -- he jumped in front of me. I think it must have been wolfsbane or mistletoe. He isn’t healing.” Cora swallowed hard, helping Deaton carry him to the back room.

 

Deaton nodded, “I’d go with wofsbane, come on let’s get him up on the table so I can do my best to get it out.” He told her calmly.

 

Lydia heard them scrambling about as she followed them her finger pressing down on the key for Scott’s number. She made it to the doorway for the back of the clinic and paused, one hand coming to rest on the doorframe as the other held the ringing phone. She kept her gaze on Cora, Isaac and Deaton as she swallowed heavily, while waiting for Scott to pick up. 

 

A second later, Scott picked up the phone. “Hey, Lydia. What’s up? Everything okay?”

 

She opened her mouth and it took a second for her to say anything. “It’s Isaac,” she replied, voice hoarse. Lydia closed her eyes to try and steady herself, but it was no use. She was dizzy and it felt like the room was closing in on her. “The clinic.” She told him finally, “I--” her words were cut off by a loud cough and when she brought her hand to cover her mouth, blood stained her palm when she pulled it back. Another thing that probably wasn’t good. 

 

The next words out of Scott’s mouth were filled with concern. “Lydia? Are you okay? What’s going on? Why are you guys at the clinic?” 

 

Lydia leaned against the doorframe her gaze falling on Isaac as a sharp sound left his mouth. Her eyes shifted to Cora and the worry on the other girl's face made her heart clench. “No, Isaac was shot, hunters.” She added, words slow, as she winced at another pained sound from Isaac. 

 

There was only a second’s pause before he responded. “We’re on the way. Just -- we’ll be there in five minutes.” Without another word, the line went dead.

 

Lydia nodded at no one in particular even after the phone went dead. It felt heavy in her hand and seconds later it fell with a loud sound, making Deaton glance up.

 

He frowned his gaze flickering to Cora briefly before ending back up on Isaac as he worked to find the bullet inside the young wolf. “Did she use her powers?” He asked quietly as he pressed a little more firmly inside Isaac with the surgical tweezers. 

 

Cora’s hand circled Isaac’s wrist and she gritted her teeth as she pulled his pain away as much as she could. At Deaton’s question, Cora glanced over to where Lydia stood at the door, and her expression grew more troubled. “Yeah. There wasn’t much choice. There were a lot of bullets flying.” 

 

“Maybe you should---” but before he could even finish the words the sound of Lydia hitting the floor echoed through the room. Deaton pressed his lips together. “I’ve got Isaac, move her to the couch for me please,” he said while putting his focus back on Isaac’s bullet wound. 

 

“Oh shit. Lydia!” Cora moved away quickly, scrambling to the redhead’s side and carefully picking her up, moving her to the sofa. “Deaton? There’s blood -- her nose,” she clarified nervously.

 

Deaton glanced up at Cora and pressed his lips into a tight line. “I know.” He replied keeping his tone level. “There are tissues on the desk. There isn’t anything that can be done at the moment.” Which was true. He needed to focus on the most immediate issue and unfortunately at the moment, that was Isaac. 

 

Cora moved to the desk to get the tissues he’d mentioned, gently wiping up the blood beneath Lydia’s nose and then carefully positioning her head on a pillow to try and make her more comfortable. “What do you want me to do?”

 

Deaton frowned as Isaac jerked slightly his head twisting to the side as a pained sound escaped his lips. “Come hold Isaac. There’s one peace of the bullet left and it’s deeper than I thought.” It was going to hurt and he imagined having Cora there might make it easier to remove. 

 

“I can take his pain,” she said seriously, moving back to his side once more and gently wrapping her hand around his wrist. Her gaze locked on his face, her own reflecting her worry as she waited for Deaton to finish removing the bullet. “Come on, Isaac,” she murmured.

 

His gaze flickered to hers as he felt Deaton digging into his body. He gritted his teeth and some of the pain ebbed and Isaac knew it  was her. “Not too much,” he managed to wheeze out and Deaton couldn’t help the way his lip twitches at the corner as he worked. 

 

The veterinarian pushed in a bit deeper as the sound of the doors bursting open hit his ears and he knew without looking that it was most likely Scott and whoever he was with on the other end of that noise. “You’re both doing great.” He said calmly as he continued probing for the small fragment inside the young wolf. 

 

Cora tensed the second she heard the doors in the front burst open, but relaxed just as quickly when she recognized the voices approaching the back room. “Scott and Stiles,” she told them both, ignoring Isaac’s warning about not taking too much of his pain. She could handle it.

 

Scott moved into the back and the sight that greeted him made his chest tight. He covered the length of the room in barely any steps at all. “What happened?” He asked voice thick with worry as he rested a hand near Isaac on the table, not entirely sure where to touch the other wolf not wanting to hurt him. “Is he going to be okay?” His eyes dropped to the veins sliding up Cora’s arm and he shifted resting his hand not far from hers, a jolt running through him as the same black veins started climbing up his arms. 

 

“She had some kind of banshee feeling, so we went to the preserve,” Cora began, not taking her eyes off Isaac. “Someone started  _ shooting _ at us.” 

 

“Lydia.” Stiles strode across the room to the couch and knelt down beside it, reaching out and placing his hand on her face, which was pale and clammy to the touch. “Lydia, can you hear me?” There was more than a hint of alarm in his voice. 

 

Her body didn’t stir at his words and when Scott glanced over at them his frown deepened. “I thought we agreed we weren’t going to let her leave the house,” he said quietly, his voice calm, but worried. “Hunters? Did we call Argent?” He eyes traveled to Deaton, “What hunters would hunt  _ us _ ?” His pack hadn’t been a target for hunters in a long time. 

 

Scott’s tone wasn’t accusing, but Cora couldn’t help feeling defensive. “We tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen so we figured as long as we followed her we could keep her safe.” She dropped her gaze back to Isaac and then bit her lip. “There wasn’t really time to call anyone, Isaac was shot and Lydia was -- “ She waved a hand toward her. “Like that.” 

 

Scott heard the defensiveness in her voice and he sighed.

 

Deaton made a quiet sound, giving the surgical tweezers a good tug as he finally extricated the last of the wolfsbane laced bullet. He dropped it in the metal dish, put down the tweezers and moved for the thread to stitch Isaac up. “Everyone keep calm,” he reminded before finally answering Scott’s question. “I don’t know if there are any new hunters in town, none to my knowledge.” He commented as his gaze darted toward Lydia and Stiles. “From what I saw when they came in, it’s getting worse. It’s going to take her some time to regain consciousness.” 

 

Stiles didn’t even look up as Deaton spoke. He’d laid a hand against Lydia’s cheek, gaze focused intently on her face. “I need you to wake up, Lyds,” he whispered, voice barely audible as he rested his forehead against hers. “Please.”

 

Scott’s chest constricted as he watched Stiles when Lydia didn’t even stir. He took one step towards his best friend, before hesitating, his gaze dropping back down to Isaac. He frowned. “We should call our parents.” He said breaking the silence in the room. “Stiles,” he called quietly. “Want to call your dad and I can call my mom? Maybe she can take a look at Lydia, Isaac too.” he offered. 

 

He closed his eyes even though he heard Scott’s words, but shook his head a little. “Can you just -- call your mom, okay? She’ll call my dad.” 

 

Scott nodded as he glanced back at Cora. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly before reaching for Isaac’s arm again, briefly squeezing it.

 

Isaac’s eyes fluttered open and shifted between Scott and Cora before mumbling something that sounded like ‘I’m fine’. Scott stepped back and pulled out his cell phone.

 

Cora watched him for a minute before focusing on Isaac as Deaton stitched him up while tuning out the sounds of Scott talking quietly beside. 

 

Stiles tuned out the quiet sounds around him, rubbing his free hand over his face and pressing a kiss against Lydia’s forehead before pressing his lips against her knuckles. “You can’t do this to me,” he whispered. “Okay? You can’t.” He swallowed heavily, eyes stinging with hot tears and he quickly shut them so they wouldn’t fall. “You think I don’t know what’s going on in your head? You don’t get to do this, Lydia.”

 

Lydia struggled with attempting to force her eyes open. They felt heavier than they should. She could hear Stiles talking to her and her fingers fluttered slightly as she finally managed to force her eyes open. “I’m not,” the words were hoarse and low and her entire body ached. She just wanted to close her eyes and get a little bit more rest, but the look on Stiles’ face stopped her. 

 

He exhaled at the sound of her voice and after a moment, he dropped his forehead to rest against her chest, hand tightening around hers just a little. “Rest,” he murmured. They could talk about it later, now that he knew she was going to wake up. 

 

It took everything she had to lift a hand and rest it on his head, but once it was in that position, she felt like it was a heavy weight. Lydia’s eyes slid shut again as Cora ran a hand down Isaac’s arm worry on her face. She wasn’t sure how long they’d been at Deaton’s, but Isaac was pale enough to freak her out. “He’s going to be okay right?”

 

Deaton glanced up from tying off the stitch. “He’ll be fine,” he was almost a hundred percent sure anyway.

 

Scott opened his mouth, but paused angling his head to the side when he heard a car screeching to a halt outside the clinic. He frowned. It should have taken his mother longer to get there. But when the sound of heavy footfalls hit the ground he realized it wasn’t his mother it was Chris Argent. 

 

He’s texted the other man right before he and Stiles made their way to the clinic. Earlier in the day after Stiles and Braden had checked out the nemeton, she’d gone with Derek and Argent to look into some leads. Maybe Argent knew if there were some new hunters in town...honestly Scott was hoping they had found something because at this point, they didn’t know anything other than whoever was coming after them, was after Lydia. 

 

“What the hell is going on?” Chris asked as he made his way into the clinic, looking around at Deaton and then the teenagers in the room. His gaze traveled from Isaac’s pale form on the table to where Lydia was laying on the couch. He couldn’t even tell if either of them was conscious or not. “What  _ happened? _ ”

 

Scott swallowed heavily, not sure why the other man’s voice made him feel like hunkering down a bit. He shifted on his feet and cleared his throat. “There was an attack at the preserve...hunters we think.” He offered as he glanced behind Argent when Derek and Braeden walked into the clinic, neither looking very happy.

 

Braeden walked over towards the table brows drawing together when she saw Isaac. “He okay?” She didn’t know him all that well, but she couldn’t help the soft spot she had for the young wolf.

 

Cora nodded, her hand curling around Isaac’s. “He’s going to be  _ fine _ .” 

 

“An attack,” Chris repeated, voice still upset. “What happened  _ exactly? _ ” His jaw was tense as he looked from Scott to Cora and then let his gaze rest on Lydia’s still form.

 

Scott hesitated, “I’m not sure. I wasn’t there.” He admitted making his chest tighten with guilt. He glanced at Cora and she pursed her lips, her gaze drifting towards Argent and then over to her brother briefly before inching back to the hunter. “Lydia had a bad feeling. We tried to keep her in the house but she jumped out the damn window,” she huffed her thumb brushing against the skin of Isaac’s hand.

 

“When we got there...there were at least a dozen dead wolves. A lot from Satomi’s pack. She walked out into the clearing and--someone starting firing at us.” Her eyes dropped to Isaac. “He pushed me out of the way,” her throat tightened. “Lydia, she used her abilities to make sure we got back to the car safe.” 

 

The older man cursed beneath his breath, jaw tightening even more at that information. 

 

Derek shifted from one foot to the other, then slowly moved over to sit down by Stiles at Lydia’s side, reaching out to rest a hand on her arm, to try and take her pain if she was in any. Black lines began to crawl up his arms almost immediately and he grimaced, keeping his eyes on her face. If he took enough of her pain maybe she’d wake up faster.

 

Chris watched the dark veins sliding up Derek’s arm and irritation surged inside of him. “This is the third time,” he said his voice quiet, calm even, but there was something hard beneath it. He looked over at Scott briefly before his gaze landed on Stiles. “Don’t you see what she’s doing to herself? And yet you all just keep letting her do it.”

 

Scott frowned. “We’re not letting her do anything...you know Lydia. She wants to help. She’s part of this pack and she wants to keep it safe.” He explained quietly, not wanting to get too loud with Isaac looking like he was resting now that Deaton was done stitching him up.

 

“Well maybe she shouldn’t be.” He replied firmly. 

 

Stiles pressed his lips together at the tone of Chris’s voice, and at the implications of his words. He rubbed a hand over his face, closing his eyes and forcing himself to take a deep breath, wishing for a moment that he had a couple of Xanax right then. “So what exactly are you suggesting here?”

 

Chris turned back to Stiles, taking in the weariness there. He had never blamed the teenager in front of him for what had happened to Allison. He thought Stiles coming back would be good for them, it would strengthen them in a way they didn’t have before. But now...he wasn’t so sure. He pushed down the familiar fear churning in his gut as he looked at Lydia. “I’m telling you this stops here. Ever since you came back it’s been one thing after another, she was safe before. She’s already died once, something that no one thought I should know in the beginning and if Derek hadn’t of told me I probably still wouldn’t.” He told him voice hard.

 

“I’m taking Lydia home, and I don’t want to see any of you near her.” His words were general, but his gaze traveled between Stiles and Scott. Chris wasn’t about to let history repeat itself. He wouldn't watch Lydia die the way Allison had. 

 

A soft noise fell from Lydia’s lips brows drawing together even before she opened her eyes, the sounds of loud voices pulling her awake even as some of the fatigue faded. “Indoor voices,” she mumbled, as her eyes fluttered open. 

 

Cora was staring at Chris with something akin to disbelief on her face, like she was about to start arguing with him. 

 

Stiles caught the look and simply shook his head a little, letting his gaze drop down to Lydia’s face and offering her a very faint smile. “Chris is here,” he said softly. “He’s gonna take you home, okay? You need to get some actual rest.” He pressed his hand against her cheek, thumb rubbing lightly over her skin.

 

Lydia frowned as she leaned into his touch, “I’m fine,” she replied, the words immediate as her gaze shifted to Derek and she shook her head. “No more.” Her gaze drifted around the room and confusion settled on her face at the tension in the room. “Is Isaac okay?” She asked voice hoarse, worry filling her gaze as she attempted to try and sit up, but the movement only made her dizzy. 

 

“Isaac’s gonna be fine,” he assured her, trying to ignore the way his heart was pounding so much harder against his chest. Like the fast pace and pressure he felt was going to make his chest explode any second. He tucked some hair behind her ear gently. “But your other option here is the hospital and I’m guessing you’d rather go home with Chris than the hospital, right?”

 

Something wasn’t right. She could feel it, but she couldn’t quite understand what she was feeling from him. She shook  her head slowly, “No hospital.” She shifted again this time moving even slower as she tried to sit up. “Are you coming?” she asked softly.

 

Stiles moved quickly, sliding an arm around her back to help her sit up more easily, licking his lips and exhaling. “Not right now,” he said just as softly. “I need to go see Satomi and see if she or any of the others who survived the attack know what happened.” It was a complete and utter lie, even if it was something he did need to do. 

 

Scott pursed his lips. “Mr. Argent,” he started, “I think you’re making a mistake.”

 

“I don’t think I am,” Chris responded evenly, meeting Scott’s eyes and holding his gaze.

 

Lydia’s frown only deepened, not sure what Scott and Chris were talking about and also pretty sure that Stiles wasn’t being completely honest with her. She pursed her lips. “Okay,” she replied sitting there for a second before pressing her hand hard against the couch as she tried getting up.

 

Derek stood and held out a hand to her, “I’ve got you.” He said keeping his tone light.

 

Lydia glanced at Stiles for a minute waiting to see if he’d change his mind. “You’ll come by later?” She asked as she took Derek’s hand. 

 

He let his arm drop from around her when she reached for Derek’s hand, giving her his best reassuring smile and a nod. “Yeah, of course. Go home and get some rest. I’ll see you soon.” His gaze flickered momentarily to Chris’s face before he looked back at Lydia once more.

 

Lydia’s hand caught Derek’s and she hesitated, her gaze following Stiles’ when he glanced at Chris. Once again she felt like she was missing something. The strawberry blonde started to get up, but her body was having none of it as she nearly pitched forward. Derek shifted forward and lifted her up. She didn’t protest, instead she relaxed against him as her eyes found Stiles’ again. “I love you.” 

 

His chest tightened at her quiet words and he swallowed heavily, nodding slightly as their eyes met. “I love you too,” he murmured, voice soft.

 

She watched him for a minute and nodded, not able to get rid of the tightness in her chest.

 

Derek glanced over at Chris and arched a brow at the other man, silently asking if they were ready to go. 

 

Chris met Derek’s eyes and nodded slightly before turning to lead the way wordlessly.

 

Scott watched them go and his heart clenched, his hands curling into fists at his side. He glanced over at Stiles, jaw tight, “We’re just going to let him take her?” He asked quietly, “Lydia wouldn’t want that...you didn’t even tell her.” He stated, “You know this isn’t what she wants.” 

 

“Maybe it’s what’s best to keep her alive,” he said just as quietly, rubbing a hand over his face tiredly and moving to sit down on the sofa where Lydia had been resting just moments before.

 

Scott shook his head. “Being with us is what’s going to do that.” He offered before his gaze turned on Isaac and Cora. “He looks like he’s in a bit less pain.”

 

Deaton glanced up and nodded as he sealed the plastic bag with pieces of the bullet inside and turned towards the teenagers there. “He is, the bullet it out.” He walked over to Stiles and held it out. “Laced with wolfsbane.” 

 

Stiles took the bullet from him wordlessly, studying it. “It’s from a .45,” he said after a moment, glancing at Deaton, then over at Scott once more. “Definitely a hunter. And definitely one out hunting werewolves.”

 

Deaton nodded. “If I were you, I’d find out if this was an isolated incident or something more.” He said keeping his tone light. “Isaac can stay here tonight,” he looked over his shoulder at Scott, “Unless your parents want to bring him home.”

 

Cora threaded hers fingers through Isaac’s, “Wherever he’s going, I’m coming.” She told them as she looked between Stiles and Scott. 

 

“What’s going on?” Melissa questioned as he made her way into the animal clinic, Michael right behind her. “What --” She gasped when she caught sight of Isaac’s still form on the table. “What  _ happened? _ ” She quickly moved over to his side, reaching up and brushing his hair back and out of his face.

 

Scott shuffled his feet and pressed his lips together. “They were attacked in the preserve, someone killed a bunch of werewolves and went after Isaac, Cora and Lydia too.” He replied quietly.

 

Michael rested a hand at the small of Melissa’s back as he came to stand beside her. “Is he going to be okay?” Because that was the most important thing. 

 

“He’s going to be fine,” Deaton told them reassuringly, nodding. “The bullet is out, but...it was laced with wolfsbane. It may take him a couple hours to fully recover.” 

 

Melissa nodded, her gaze worried. “We should get him home and in his own bed.” She glanced at her husband, “Can we get him in the truck without hurting him more?”

 

Scott stepped forward, “I can help,” he offered. 

 

Stiles watched all of them silently, expression remaining stoic as he listened to the plans they made to take Isaac home and care for him there. His fingers tightened around the blood-stained bullet in his palm. No more distractions, he thought, slowly rising to his feet. 

  
He had work to do.


End file.
